


Salad Days

by heyjupiter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Alternate 2012, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medical Procedures, Minor Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanov, Minor Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Open Relationships, Science Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22257199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: "You need to rest, and your heart needs to rest. You should be following a strict heart-healthy diet. Which definitely does not include shawarma.""It doesn't? Whatisshawarma, anyway?"--In an alternate 2012, Bruce reluctantly agrees to stick around and help Tony after his unexpected heart attack, although he's not a cardiologist and he's not comfortable in New York. For his part, Tony doesn't see the point in some of his new doctor's orders regarding things like caffeine and cholesterol. But with time, the pair learn how to take care of each other, even when they can't take care of themselves.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark
Comments: 22
Kudos: 111
Collections: Bruce Banner Bingo 2019, Marvel Trumps Hate 2019





	Salad Days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [m_supercomputer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/m_supercomputer/gifts).



> This was written for m_supercomputer as part of the [2019 Marvel Trumps Hate event](https://marveltrumpshate.tumblr.com/). I really enjoyed her prompt! I hadn't given much thought to Endgame's alternate 2012 before but it turned out to be a rich canvas for hurt/comfort. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> I'm also using it for my free square on my [Bruce Banner Bingo card](https://twentyghosts.tumblr.com/brucebingo).
> 
> Thanks so much to xxx_cat_xxx for her very helpful beta reading!
> 
> Also, I want to give a light content note for the inclusion of some diet/food stuff. It's absolutely not in the context of body-shaming or weight loss, but just in terms of heart health and care after a heart attack. But if you are triggered by any kind of diet/food talk, be advised that there's a little bit of that in here. (Also, I'm not a doctor.) 
> 
> Also minor discussion of suicide, but nothing more graphic than what's present in the first Avengers movie.

"Bruce! Thank god you're back. You're a doctor, right?"

Bruce blinked. He always felt sluggish when he returned to himself after a Hulk-out, and he currently felt worse than usual. He looked around and saw that he was sitting on the ground, surrounded by rubble in what remained of an urban area— _New York_ , he remembered. Aliens had been attacking New York. 

"Bruce? Are you okay?" the woman asked. _Natasha_. He winced, remembering how he'd frightened her on the helicarrier earlier that day. Or had it been yesterday? "Bruce?"

He nodded.

"And you're a doctor? A medical one?"

"Uh. Yeah. Technically," he managed. His voice sounded hoarse. "My license to practice in the US is lapsed, I'm pretty sure."

"Okay. But, say, if somebody had a heart attack, you'd know what to do?"

"Did somebody have a heart attack?" Bruce scrambled to his feet, aware of his bare feet and torso. At least his shredded shorts were somewhat intact.

Thankfully, Natasha handed him a wad of fabric that turned out to be a T-shirt and a pair of track pants. "I'll see what I can do about shoes. Watch out for broken glass."

Bruce tugged the clothes on and followed her down the street. His body protested; his thighs particularly ached, and he wondered what Hulk had been up to. They passed multiple ambulances and he mumbled, "Aren't there enough EMTs?"

"Oh, there are plenty, but Tony's particular," Natasha said wryly.

"Wait, _Tony_ had a heart attack? Tony, Tony Stark?"

"That's the one." 

Bruce forced his sore legs to walk faster. "Oh my god, is he okay?"

"Well, that's what we want you to tell us."

"Seriously, I'm not a cardiologist, I've just been doing, uh, family medicine since, um, for the last few years…"

"He's healthy enough to aggressively decline medical treatment," Natasha said. "Thor gave him a lightning bolt to the heart and that seems to have revived him."

" _What_."

She shrugged and led Bruce into the lobby of Stark Tower. Tony was sitting up on a stretcher. His face looked pale, but he was conscious and holding court with a handful of EMTs. Natasha pushed through them and Bruce followed in her wake.

"Hey, Banner! Good to see you. Not that we didn't appreciate having the Jolly Green Giant on our side. He was great!"

"Tony, what are you doing? Natasha said you had a heart attack?"

Tony made a dismissive hand gesture. "A minor episode of cardiac dysrhythmia. The arc reactor went out for a second. I just need to get _out of here_ ," he said with a pointed glare at the EMTs, "and swap it out with a replacement."

"Mr. Stark, we _really_ strongly encourage you to get—" one of the EMTs started.

Tony waved them off. "I'm an adult. I decline treatment. _Doctor_ Banner here can help me out. Right, Bruce?"

Bruce hesitated. He'd meant what he'd said to Natasha earlier; he _wasn't_ a cardiologist. Tony really would be better off with a trip to the emergency room. But he saw the pleading look in Tony's eyes, and he thought he recognized a trace of fear there, too. And Tony had been so kind to Bruce. Or not kind, exactly, but normal, which was better. "Um. Right."

Tony beamed. "So, we'll be fine. You all should go help people who don't have their own private doctors."

The EMTs grudgingly dispersed, and Bruce raised his eyebrow. "I'm your private doctor now?"

"I'm so glad you accepted the offer. Now, come up to my workshop before this thing actually kills me," Tony said, tapping the blue plate in his chest, glowing through his T-shirt.

"Your workshop? You need a hospital! Or at the very least, a building with some structural integrity," said Bruce, who had just walked barefoot through some pieces of Stark Tower. "This place could come crashing down at any minute."

"Hey, the upper levels of the tower took some damage, but my workshop has reinforced walls. It'd take a lot more than this to take all of Stark Tower offline. And I have my own medical diagnostic equipment up there. It's better than a hospital for what I need." Bruce looked again at the glowing arc reactor and realized that Tony was probably right; most medical facilities wouldn't be equipped to deal with his specialized situation.

"Okay! Okay," Bruce said. "Let's go, then." He looked around for guidance from Natasha, but she'd vanished. Bruce didn't recognize anyone else who was milling around the lobby. He took a deep breath and started to push Tony's gurney.

"Hey, stop it, I can walk."

"You'd better not push yourself, Tony, not until we can see what's going on." Bruce pushed the gurney a few feet forward and then added, sheepishly, "Um, just tell me where we're going."

Tony jumped down from the gurney and said, "Follow me."

Bruce said, "Seriously, Tony, if you want me to be your doctor, you need to listen to me. Or I'll sedate you and drop you off at the emergency room."

"You wouldn't."

"I would, if it'll keep you alive," Bruce said, though he wasn't sure how he'd actually accomplish that. Natasha would probably help him, if he could find her again. He tried to keep his tone forceful enough to get Tony to listen to him without asking too many questions. "You should _not_ be putting extra stress on your heart until we figure out what's going on."

Bruce touched Tony's shoulder and guided him back toward the gurney. "Fine, fine," Tony grumbled, as he sat back on the gurney. Bruce could hear that Tony's breathing had gotten shallower, and he kept uncharacteristically quiet other than directing Bruce to the private elevator. By the time they got up to Tony's workshop, Tony was clammy and clearly struggling to breathe, though he still didn't lie down. Bruce felt his own heart sink. Tony Stark was going to die and it was going to be Bruce's fault.

Meanwhile, Tony stripped off his T-shirt. Bruce pointedly looked at the flickering arc reactor and not at Tony's surprising six-pack abs. Bruce took stock of the room's supplies and immediately got Tony started on oxygen. After taking a few deep breaths, Tony produced another device and said, though his oxygen mask, "Okay, Banner, here's what we're going to do…"

Bruce washed his hands thoroughly and followed Tony's instructions as they pulled out the damaged arc reactor, connected Tony to a backup battery source, and swapped in an older model. Tony remained impressively calm and erudite throughout the procedure, giving clear directions with occasional input from a disembodied voice that Bruce couldn't spare the mental energy to question.

When they finished, Tony took off the oxygen mask and offered Bruce a fist-bump. "Nice work, Bruce. That's twice you've saved my life today."

"I think you did most of the work," Bruce replied.

"Well, you had steady hands and you didn't freak out. I knew you'd be good for that."

"Okay, well...thank you. But are you sure that—"

Tony interrupted, "J, can you run another diagnostic and check my vitals?"

"Certainly, sir," replied the voice who'd helped them earlier.

Now that Tony was out of immediate danger, Bruce glanced around for the source of the voice. "Where is that coming from, by the way?" 

"Oh! Bruce, meet JARVIS, the AI that runs Stark Tower, as well as my suits and, well, my heart. JARVIS, this is Bruce, give him access to my medical files. And...actually, and a level 1 security clearance, okay?"

"Yes, sir. A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Banner."

"Ah, nice to meet you too," Bruce said.

"If you require anything during your stay at Stark Tower, just call my name," JARVIS said. "Here are the files you requested."

Immediately, a glowing holographic panel popped up in the air in front of Bruce's face, including what seemed to be a live EKG monitor display. "Oh. Thanks. How are you collecting all of this data?"

"Master Stark has subdermal sensors, which are connected to my network."

"Wow," Bruce mumbled, impressed by the technology. "Well...these numbers do look okay." He rifled through Tony's stash of medical supplies and quickly tended to a few cuts and bruises that Tony had acquired during the battle. Tony tried to shrug him off, but Bruce was persistent, and after a moment Tony settled back and let Bruce work.

"Okay. Now, who's your primary care physician?"

Tony shook his head. "You."

Bruce sighed. "But who signs off on your prescriptions?"

"What do I need a prescription for?"

"An antibiotic, for starters. Just to prevent potential infection...honestly, that's something you should be taking every time you take the arc reactor out. Looking at your file, I'd maybe suggest trying out some beta blockers, maybe a blood thinner…we want to make it easier for your heart to function."

Tony grimaced. "Okay, well, I'm sure JARVIS can point you toward a pharmacy."

"Uh...I can't actually prescribe you medications, is the thing."

"Why not? You're a doctor. Multiple times over, but I know there's an MD in there. I saw your file."

"I mean, yes, but I'm not currently licensed to practice in this state. Or this country. I don't think I'm even legally allowed to exist in this country, actually," Bruce said ruefully. It had been a nice respite to stay here at Stark Tower, but he really should be getting a move on soon.

Tony snorted. "Okay, well, we'll get _that_ sorted out," he said airily. "In the meantime, you can make a list and I'm sure JARVIS can get a concierge doctor to write the prescription."

"Without seeing you?"

"Bruce, please remember...I'm very rich," Tony said. 

Bruce laughed. "Okay. Right." That was undoubtedly true, and made it all the stranger that Tony didn't already _have_ an expensive concierge doctor lined up for himself. "Don't suppose you have access to a Physician's Desk Reference?" Bruce wanted to check on drug interactions before he accidentally poisoned Iron Man.

Tony waved over at a console. "JARVIS'll get you access."

"Indeed, sir. I have acquired online access to the most recent edition. Please let me know if I can assist you in any other way."

"Oh, uh, thanks, JARVIS." Bruce sat down and did his research, then provided JARVIS with a list of prescriptions to have filled.

Tony raised his eyebrows. "This seems like a lot."

"Some of them are 'as needed,'" Bruce said. "I, uh, I can talk you through them?"

"Eh, why don't you wait until they're delivered? I'll probably forget anyway. I'll need you and JARVIS to keep me on track."

"Sure. Anyway, you should get some rest first." Bruce bit back a yawn; he needed rest, too.

"Rest. Right. But first, dinner, right? We were going to get shawarma."

"What?"

Tony squinted. "Maybe you weren't there for that. There's a place nearby, we can just..."

"Tony, you need to _rest_."

"Okay, well, I bet they deliver."

Bruce sighed. "You need to rest, and your heart needs to rest. You should be following a strict heart-healthy diet. Which definitely does not include shawarma."

"It doesn't? What _is_ shawarma, anyway?"

"It's like, the big rotisserie meats," Bruce said, with a hand gesture to explain. "Like a Middle Eastern version of a gyro."

"Ohh. But surely I've earned a cheat day?"

"That's not how any of this works. It's not—it's not about weight loss. It's about keeping your blood pressure low to avoid putting further stress on your heart, while you heal. The cholesterol and sodium in that kind of salty street meat are definitely not what you need right now."

"C'mon, I didn't have a _heart attack_ -heart attack."

"Tony, you took a bolt of _lightning_ to your chest." Bruce watched as Tony stood up and walked over to a coffee pot. "Uh, Tony, I have some bad news about caffeine and heart patients."

"Banner, I am not being melodramatic when I say that I'd rather die than live without coffee."

"Well, _I'm_ not being melodramatic when I say that that _is_ the choice you might be making. A cup of coffee might literally kill you right now." It probably wouldn't, but Bruce wanted to collect more data first. He wanted Tony to listen to him.

"What about half a cup?"

"Tony, why did you ask me to come up here with you if you weren't going to listen to me?"

"I don't like doctors."

"I'll try not to take that personally."

"Right, you shouldn't! I meant, I don't like doctors but I like _you_ ," Tony said earnestly. "Plus, I know SHIELD is dying—figuratively speaking—to get their hands on the arc reactor, and I don't trust them with it. But I can trust you. Anyway, no shawarma, fine, what about pizza?"

Bruce's stomach growled; he _was_ hungry after all that his body had been through. 

Tony grinned. "See? You want pizza too."

"Tony, seriously, you need to be eating low sodium, high fiber. Fruits and vegetables, lean proteins…you really don't want to make your heart do too much work during your recovery period."

"It's not like my arteries are clogged or whatever. I just have, you know, other issues." He gestured down at the arc reactor.

Bruce crossed his arms and tried to look stern. He was hungry, and tired, and didn't feel like fighting, but he was also deeply concerned about his new friend, who didn't seem to grasp the gravity of what his body had been through. "I'm just trying to help."

Tony quirked his lips. "I hear I'm not always the easiest person to help. Some might say I don't play well with others."

Bruce sighed. "Okay, then."

"Okay, then what?"

"Okay, then I'll go," Bruce said, and slowly made his way toward the door on aching legs.

"Bruce, what are you talking about? You shouldn't go anywhere. You're not even wearing shoes." Tony approached Bruce and put a hand on his shoulder. "I wasn't trying to kick you out. I was trying to apologize. Ish."

"Oh."

"Look, why don't you order lunch? Dinner? Just tell JARVIS what you want us to eat. He'll order it. Someone will bring it to us. I'll eat it, even if it's gross. And we'll find you some shoes."

"Um. Oh. Okay. Um. Thanks?" Bruce looked up and was surprised by the warmth he found in Tony's eyes. He felt overwhelmed by choice, but JARVIS helpfully guided him toward some restaurants with heart-healthy offerings and he ordered some salads and sandwiches, which arrived with merciful quickness. 

They sat at the end of a gleaming work table and ate. "I'm surprised any restaurants are still open," Bruce said around a mouthful of baby spinach.

Tony, picking at his grilled chicken breast, said, "It's New York. Stranger things have happened. I think the airspace is still closed, but fast casual restaurants are eternal."

Bruce considered. "What did happen, exactly? I—is everyone...all right?" He guiltily realized he'd been so overwhelmed with his own problems and with helping Tony that he hadn't stopped to wonder about everything else. Presumably things were okay enough, if he and Tony were able to sit in a very nice workshop and eat very nice salads together.

Tony looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I, uh, I don't remember stuff that the...Other Guy does," Bruce admitted quietly.

"Really? That's fascinating."

"Mmph," Bruce mumbled, eating quickly while Tony gave him a short recap. His body was desperate for calories. After he'd finished all of his food, he glanced over and saw that Tony was watching him with raised eyebrows and mostly-full containers in front of himself.

"Still hungry?"

Bruce looked down at the table, embarrassed. "Sorry. It's just, uh, the Other Guy burns a lot of calories."

"Oh! Of course. Why didn't you order more food, then?"

"I'm fine. This was enough," said Bruce, who'd gotten used to making do with less than enough.

But Tony shook his head and passed his salad over to Bruce. "JARVIS, please get some more food for Bruce."

"Thanks," Bruce said, his face burning.

"Hey, we both need fuel sources, right?" Tony asked, tapping his arc reactor through his shirt.

"I guess you could say that."

More food arrived and Bruce ate until he was finally, blissfully full, and then he let out a yawn.

"See? We should have coffee," Tony said.

"Or we could just go to bed."

"It's like, 5PM."

"Mmm." Since leaving Kolkata, Bruce had gone so far past beyond jet lag it wasn't funny.

"C'mon, help me fix my good arc reactor before this old one gives me blood poisoning."

" _What?_ "

"Well, it probably won't, I think I fixed it, but still, let's see what went wrong with the newer one."

Bruce buried his exhaustion and followed Tony's lead, sitting next to him and frowning thoughtfully at the inner workings of a very advanced device he didn't really understand. It didn't help that his vision was swimming. He dug his fingernails into his palms in an attempt to keep himself from nodding off. If Tony needed him, Bruce could surely hang in there for a bit longer. Just...a bit...longer...

And then he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard Tony's voice say, "Hey, Banner, am I boring you?"

Bruce stirred and realized he must have put his head down on the work table and fallen asleep. "N-no, sorry, Tony, it's just been a really long day…" He yawned and attempted to keep his eyes open.

Tony sighed. "Why didn't you tell me how tired you were?"

"Well, you said you didn't want to rest."

"I didn't. But why didn't you say that _you_ needed to rest?"

"It's just that my transformations take a lot out of me, physically, and I never really got a chance to recover from the last one before coming back…" He looked down at the table again, embarrassed to remember how he'd lost control and scared his teammates.

"You should have said so!"

"I was afraid you'd give yourself another heart attack and die if I left you unattended."

Tony let out a little laugh and clapped Bruce on the back. "Fair enough. Well, I appreciate your efforts. But let's get you to bed. I solemnly swear I won't tax my heart while you sleep."

Bruce squinted at Tony, suspicious but exhausted. Tony added, "Here, JARVIS will keep an eye on me, right, J?"

"Always, Master Stark," came the disembodied AI voice. "Dr. Banner, I can wake you if Master Stark behaves in a manner counter to your medical advice."

"Okay," Bruce said. "Okay. No strenuous physical activity, and no caffeine, alcohol, or foods with a lot of cholesterol or saturated fat…"

"Understood, sir," JARVIS replied.

"Thanks," Bruce said. He folded his arms on the table and bent his head back down.

Tony laughed and patted his shoulder. "C'mon, Bruce, we'll get you a bed."

"This is fine," Bruce mumbled into his elbow. It was more comfortable than most of the places he ended up post-Hulk.

"Don't be ridiculous. Stark Tower still has dozens of bedrooms, even after losing a few off the top. JARVIS, where's the nearest available guest room?" 

"The green room, on the 84th floor."

"Ah. Perfect."

Bruce had no idea what floor they were currently on, but Tony put an arm around his shoulders and guided him up off his stool. Bruce staggered wildly as his feet hit the ground, and Tony tightened his arm around him.

"Whoa, easy, there. I see how it is, no alcohol for me but you've been slipping some?"

Bruce shook his head. "Sorry, I'm not sure what happened but my legs are just really sore."

"Oh. Oops, that one might be my fault?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing, just, the Other Guy might have, uh, gotten a lot of steps in earlier today."

"Oh. Well, I'll be fine, just need…"

"Food and sleep," Tony finished. "Sorry, I've been a bad host."

"You did just have a heart attack, so, I think it's understandable."

Tony made an ambivalent sound and led Bruce into an elevator. They went down three levels and Tony let Bruce into a beautifully furnished guest suite. 

"This look good?" Tony asked.

"Mm," Bruce replied, stumbling toward the bed.

Tony laughed. "Okay. Well, uh, I'll let you get some sleep, and later we'll get you some clothes and things. There should be toiletries in the bathroom, and if you need anything at all, just let JARVIS know."

"Mm-hmm. Thanks, Tony. And JARVIS."

"You're quite welcome, sir."

Still wearing the T-shirt and track pants Natasha had given him, Bruce pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. He was pretty sure he fell asleep before his head hit the pillow.

He had no sense of how much time had passed when the lights brightened and a voice said, "I'm sorry to wake you, Dr. Banner."

Bruce sat straight up and looked around the room. He was alone, but he remembered where he was. Stark Tower, home to an omniscient AI. 

"Again, apologies for the intrusion," JARVIS continued. "You're quite safe here. However, Master Stark has requested, ah, medical attention."

"What? What's going on? Is it the arc reactor?" Bruce asked. He climbed out of bed and looked up at the ceiling, though he knew he wouldn't actually see JARVIS there. Still, it felt somehow like making eye contact with the AI.

"Based on his vitals, I believe he is having a panic attack, but he fears it is a heart attack."

"If he's having a heart attack, you should call 911!"

"I don't believe that will be necessary. Now, Dr. Banner, if you'll go out your bedroom door and turn left…" JARVIS guided Bruce on mostly-steady feet up one floor to another bedroom. Bruce wondered if he should knock, when the door slid open on its own. Bruce blinked into the dim light of a large bedroom. He heard the sounds of Tony's haggard breathing, and he walked toward it.

"Hey, Tony?" he called softly.

"'m sorry," Tony gasped. "I didn't, I can't…"

"Hey. It's okay." Bruce sat on the bed next to Tony. He squeezed one of Tony's hands, and used the other hand to check Tony's racing pulse. It matched the number JARVIS had provided. He said, "Just take a deep breath with me." He modeled deep breathing for Tony.

"Can't breathe…"

"Hmm. Would you try? Just in...and out…"

"Bruce, I'm having...heart attack...help…"

Bruce sat cross-legged on the bed across from Tony and held both of his hands. "You're not, Tony, you're going to be fine. Can you feel my hands?"

"What?" Tony's face, dimly lit by the blue glow of the arc reactor through his tank top, looked miserable and afraid. It was such a terrible change from the cocky man he'd met on the helicarrier.

Bruce squeezed Tony's hands tightly, trying to distract him. "Can you feel my hands?"

"...yes?"

"How many fingers do I have?"

"Ten...I assume."

"Exactly right," Bruce said. "How many fingers do you have?"

" _Ten_. Are you sure you're a doctor?" Tony asked. He sounded grumpy, but he was already breathing more normally.

"Just checking. How many fingers does JARVIS have?"

"None."

"How many gigabytes of data does JARVIS have?"

"Uh...lot." Bruce figured that was probably a fair answer and tried another tactic.

"What floor are we on?"

"The 85th."

"What's 85 squared?"

For a moment, Tony was quiet. "Seven thousand, two hundred and twenty-five."

Bruce gave Tony a few more math problems and abruptly, Tony said, "Oh. I'm not having a heart attack."

"No," Bruce agreed. "Which is very good news."

Tony's shoulders slumped. "Sorry to bother you."

"It's no bother, Tony, I wanted you to wake me if you needed help. And you did."

"I know you needed sleep."

Bruce was still tired, but no longer as crushingly exhausted as he'd been yesterday. Or earlier that day? He was pretty disoriented, but he reassured Tony, "And I got some. Have you ever had a panic attack before?"

"It wasn't just in my head. It was so real…"

"Of course it was."

"That wormhole, I…"

Bruce blinked. "Wormhole?"

"The, um, actually, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay," Bruce agreed. "You don't have to. We can talk about whatever you want."

"Bruce, I...you don't have to if you don't want to, but, uh, would you...stay with me?"

"Of course."

Tony threw his arms around Bruce's neck and surprised him with a tight hug. 

"Sorry," Tony muttered, sounding embarrassed as he drew away from Bruce, who had been startled into a tense stillness.

"No, no, it's fine, I'm, um, just not, um, used to it."

"Used to what, hugs?"

Bruce shrugged, and Tony leaned in and gave him another, less vigorous hug. This time, Bruce tried to let himself relax into it. Truthfully, he wasn't used to being touched at all. He'd spent so many years carefully keeping himself apart from anyone who he could possibly hurt, which was everyone.

Finally, Tony pulled away and said, "Let's go back to sleep."

"Okay."

"You're sure you don't mind staying?"

"Of course," Bruce said. They got under the covers. Bruce curled up on his side at the far edge of the bed, facing away from Tony. He was surprised to feel Tony slide closer to him and wrap an arm around him from behind.

"Don't want to be alone," Tony murmured.

"You're not," Bruce reassured him. He lay there quietly, listening as Tony's breaths evened out into sleep. Bruce was still tired, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to fall asleep so close to another person. So close to _Tony_. He was pretty sure he wouldn't Hulk out—he didn't think he had the energy for another change even if he wanted to—but still. What if he had a nightmare and talked in his sleep? What if he rolled over and elbowed Tony in the face? What if he got hard? 

He was ashamed of that last worry; Tony had called him in distress, looking for medical help and reassurance. He didn't know that Bruce had been so touch-starved that his body would respond so strongly to a simple hug. The hug had been bad enough, but now Bruce was being spooned from behind by the most attractive man he'd ever met. Bruce gritted his teeth and did math problems in his head until eventually he drifted back to sleep.

When he awoke again, he felt better-rested than he had in years. He sat up in bed, yawned and stretched. He craned his head to look for a clock. 

Tony said, "Hey, Sleeping Beauty!"

Bruce turned and saw Tony lounging on a nearby couch, a tablet in his lap and a mug on the table beside him. Tony waved and Bruce offered a tentative smile. "Hey. Sorry."

Tony's mouth quirked. "Sorry for what?"

Bruce shrugged. "I take it I was asleep for a long time?" He rubbed his eyes and ran his fingers through his mussed hair.

"Well, define 'long.' I mean, I think Steve Rogers still has your record beat." Tony grinned and said, "I'm glad you got some rest. And look, I followed your instructions. I had tea and oatmeal for breakfast," Tony said, gesturing at the table. "And I'm not doing _any_ strenuous activity." He gestured at the couch he was sprawled out on. The expression on Tony's face reminded Bruce of the kids who would visit Bruce at the community clinic in Kolkata, showing off a picture they'd drawn or lizard they'd caught. Bruce couldn't help but find it endearing that Tony so clearly wanted approval for following basic medical instructions.

Bruce smiled. "Good. And how are you feeling this morning?"

Tony snorted. "This afternoon, you mean."

"Oh." Bruce squirmed at the thought of spending so many hours in Tony's bed. 

"But I'm alright. Although, _how_ serious are you about that no caffeine thing? Because my head is _killing me_. I don't think I've gone this long without coffee since I was ten years old."

"Oh...well, you can definitely take painkillers. And drinking more water should help. Did those prescriptions come in yet? You should start the antibiotics as soon as possible."

"They did arrive, and I _did_ suggest that Master Stark begin his course of antibiotics immediately," JARVIS chimed in. 

"Whoa, okay, why don't you have some lunch before you start ganging up on me with my own AI," Tony said. "It was bad enough that he threatened to narc on me when I was just _looking_ at the coffeemaker."

Bruce smiled. "Lunch sounds good. But, um, is there a shower, maybe?" He couldn't remember the last time he'd taken one and he felt self-conscious. 

Tony waved an arm out. "Oh, yeah, of course. Bathroom's through there. Help yourself to whatever clothes are in the closet. Most of my stuff was up in the penthouse, which is...undergoing emergency renovations at the moment, but you should be able to find something for now. We'll do some shopping later."

"Oh. Um. Thank you." Bruce climbed out of bed, happy to feel that his sore muscles had mostly recovered from whatever the Hulk had put them through. He hastily grabbed a T-shirt, jeans, and boxer briefs.

"You need anything else?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, I need you go to take your amoxicillin. And a probiotic."

Tony grumbled his assent and presumably went off to do that while Bruce took an amazing shower. In Kolkata, he'd lived in the back room of the community clinic he worked at, sleeping on a cot and taking short, cold showers to preserve their limited water for patients. He'd adapted to it, had almost forgotten about other ways of living. Of course, even when he'd lived in the US before, he didn't think he'd ever been in a bathroom as nice as this one. Or a bedroom, for that matter. He dried off with a luxurious towel and pulled on Tony's clothes.

Back out in the bedroom, Tony gave him a thumbs up. "Looking good, Banner."

Bruce tugged at the jeans; they felt a little tight, but he didn't want to complain. "Thanks." He looked around the room, thinking of what Tony had said about the penthouse being remodeled. Now that Tony had mentioned it, this room, like the one Bruce had begun the night in, didn't look very lived-in. He was sure the furnishings were expensive, but there were no personal touches.

Tony said, "Oh, and shoes!" He handed Bruce a pair of canvas boat shoes. Then, hesitantly, Bruce went back to the clothes closet and found a hooded sweatshirt. "Can I borrow this, too?"

"Of course, anything. Are you cold?"

Bruce pulled it on. "Thanks. Uh, just, not really used to air conditioning," he admitted.

"Ah. Well, let's head down to the kitchen, warm you up with some tea and whatever you want for lunch." Tony casually slung his arm around Bruce's shoulder and guided him to the kitchen. Bruce was truly unprepared for how touchy-feely Tony was. On the helicarrier, Bruce had thought Tony was trying to provoke a visit from the Other Guy. But maybe Tony was just like this? Maybe Bruce had just forgotten what the normal amount of human contact was, if he'd ever known to begin with.

In the kitchen, Tony ate an apple—"To keep the doctors away, except for you"—while Bruce improvised a vegetable stir-fry from the overstocked refrigerator.

"But you took your first amoxicillin, right?" Bruce prompted.

Tony produced a small orange bottle. "I just took them all at once to get it over with."

" _Tony_..."

"Kidding. I took one. And JARVIS will let me know when it's time to take the next one, right, J?"

"Yes, sir, though I may need to rely on Dr. Banner to make sure you listen to me."

While they ate, Bruce asked, "So you really don't see a regular cardiologist?"

Tony shrugged. "I told you, I don't like doctors. I don't like…" he trailed off and made some kind of hand gesture. "I've been getting by okay with me and JARVIS."

Bruce rubbed his forehead and made a face. Tony laughed. "I take it you disagree with that assessment?"

"Remember yesterday when your heart stopped working?"

"That was due to technical failure, which, after you finish eating, maybe we could go take a look at that?"

Bruce sighed, remembering how he'd fallen asleep in the middle of looking at Tony's broken arc reactor yesterday. "Sure. But Tony, as impressive as your tech is, you still need to take care of your body to make sure your flesh can keep up with it."

"Okay, okay, I'll try things your way if it makes you happy. But about that coffee?"

Bruce checked Tony's vitals—and his pleading puppy-dog eyes—and said, "I guess one cup would be okay. But JARVIS, keep an eye on his heart rate while he drinks it, please."

"Of course, sir," JARVIS said, while Tony gleefully brewed himself a large cup of coffee.

Tony clutched his coffee like it was a precious treasure and said, "So, workshop?"

This time around, Bruce was much better-equipped to focus on what Tony was showing him. The tiny flaw in the arc reactor was easily diagnosed, but they spent hours debating how best to upgrade it to prevent a repeat performance. Well, _Tony_ spent hours talking it out while Bruce listened and watched and occasionally offered questions or suggestions.

They got the arc reactor repaired and swapped it back into Tony's chest.

And then a beautiful redheaded woman in a fancy suit walked into the workshop. Tony's face lit up and he stood to kiss her. Bruce looked away, embarrassed.

Tony pulled his face away from the woman and said, "Pepper! This is Bruce, he saved my life. Bruce, this is Pepper, she saved my life too. You guys have so much in common."

Bruce looked back over at them. The woman—Pepper—smiled at Bruce warmly. Bruce stood and offered her a handshake but she pulled him into a hug. "Thank you, Bruce, it's lovely to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Bruce managed. Of course Tony had a girlfriend like this. That made so much more sense than the idea of Tony being with somebody like Bruce.

"Pepper got stuck in DC overnight. You were still sleeping when she got in this morning," Tony said. "I didn't want to wake you."

"Oh. Thanks. Sorry I missed you," Bruce said to Pepper.

"I'm glad you got some rest. It sounded like you needed it." Pepper stretched her arms. "I think we all have a lot of work ahead of us. But we should eat first. Are you guys ready for dinner?"

"Famished," Tony said promptly. "And I think this guy has a bottomless pit inside him."

"Oh, I—" Bruce said, twisting his hands together. He was hungry, but he didn't want to be a third wheel.

Tony put an arm around Bruce and said, "Tell Pepper all the things I'm not allowed to eat."

"Oh, I just, with Tony's heart condition, I was just trying to—"

"Just trying to keep him alive, I know, he doesn't make it easy, does he?" Pepper asked sympathetically. She gave him a conspiratorial smile, and Bruce hesitantly returned it. "Anyway, I arranged for a private chef to start. I gave her the American Heart Association's guidelines. Is there anything else she should know?"

"No, that ought to cover it," Bruce said.

"Really, Bruce?" Tony asked.

"What?" Bruce really didn't want to get into it with Tony, although Pepper did seem like a welcome ally.

"Pepper should tell the chef that you're a vegetarian," Tony said.

"Oh, no, you don't have to go to any trouble on my account."

"Bruce! It's no trouble to make sure our guests are properly fed," Pepper scolded.

"I mean, I'm not strict about it, there are times when...well, I'll take what I can get. But I just, um, well, try to keep a smaller footprint, when I can."

"That's lovely. And it's easily accommodated, especially since Tony shouldn't be eating red meat anyway."

Tony gave a melodramatic moan. "I saved the world and I can't even have a burger?"

Pepper rolled her eyes and said, "Bruce, you and I could dine together if Tony would prefer to whine alone."

"No, I'm coming," Tony said. He and Pepper cheerfully bickered as they led Bruce to a lovely dining room, where the table had already been set with a beautiful salad bowl. Bruce had managed to quell the deep hunger that hit him post-Hulk, but he still had a hearty appetite.

"I have never seen anyone enjoy a salad as much as you do," Tony remarked, somewhat grudgingly.

"Oh. Well, uh, salads like this, or raw vegetables in general, weren't really readily available where I've been living."

"Oh, you poor thing," Pepper said.

"No, no, Indian food is great, and I'd get plenty of cooked vegetables, it's just, uh. A nice change of pace." Bruce managed a smile and popped another cherry tomato in his mouth. Being the center of attention made him nervous, though now he wasn't sure why. Tony and Pepper both already knew the secret he'd been trying to keep for years, and they'd still invited him to dinner. But Pepper proved to be an excellent conversationalist, and Bruce could see why she fit well with Tony. She smoothed out his edges and nudged him closer to the boundaries of social etiquette.

The trouble was, Bruce realized he _liked_ Tony's complete absence of manners. When they'd first met, Tony had poked him in the side and teased him about being an "enormous green rage monster." It had been completely inappropriate and yet it had made Bruce feel at ease. Tony had signaled that he would be honest with Bruce, that he wouldn't tiptoe around Bruce's issues.

Still, Pepper was kind to him. Over their main course of cauliflower "steaks," she asked, "Bruce, I know Tony's been keeping you pretty busy. Did you get a chance to make any phone calls?"

"What?"

"I just didn't know if there was anybody who might be waiting to hear from you, to know that you're okay."

His voice steady, Bruce said, "No...well, I suppose I should check in with the clinic where I was working. But I think they're pretty used to foreign doctors coming and going."

"Surely they'll be glad to know you're alright?" 

"Uh...yeah," Bruce said, and he supposed it was true. He hadn't made any close friends—it was dangerous to let people get too close to him—but still, he had acquired some friendly acquaintances, and he hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to anyone after Natasha had found him.

"I'm sure they'll be crushed to hear that you've accepted employment elsewhere," Tony said cheerfully.

Bruce glanced at him and then back down at his plate. He wasn't sure what the offer was, exactly, and he wasn't sure if he had accepted it. He wasn't sure if he should. Or could.

"Oh?" Pepper asked.

"Well, we'll figure out the details later," Tony said, "But obviously we're adding Bruce to SI's payroll."

"Um," Bruce said.

"Speaking of details, did you have a chance to read over those bids for repairs to Stark Tower?" Pepper asked.

Bruce found himself spacing out as Tony and Pepper talked about their plans for rebuilding the tower and the city. He wondered how much damage he was personally responsible for, and he knew there was no way he could ever make it up. But maybe his part was just to repair Tony. Maybe he could do that.

"Earth to Banner!"

"Hmm? Oh." Bruce looked up sheepishly. "Sorry, uh, my mind was elsewhere."

"Well, bring it back in if you want dessert. If you can even call this dessert."

"It's a blood orange sorbet," Pepper said. "You like blood orange."

"I suppose," Tony grumbled.

Bruce took his dish of sorbet and ate it. He tried to focus in on Tony and Pepper's conversation, but he was feeling overwhelmed. 

Pepper rose from the table and said, "Bruce, it was lovely to meet you, and thanks again for saving Tony. I'm going to go to my office and make a few phone calls." She gave Tony a quick kiss and said, "Bye, honey, check your email. And reply to your email."

"I thought I made you CEO so I wouldn't have to read email anymore," Tony said. Pepper rolled her eyes and Tony added, "Love you!"

"Love you too," Pepper called over her shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll all have a lot of work to do," Bruce said. "I should let you do that." He stood and cleared his dishes from the table but was unsure where to take them, so he stood awkwardly near one of the room's doors.

Tony laughed. "Dishwasher's through here."

Together, they cleared the table and Tony said, "Did you get enough to eat? Be honest, it won't hurt my feelings if you need to go snag a pint of Ben & Jerry's."

Bruce smiled. "I'm fine, thanks."

Tony eyed him and said, "Well, let me know. Or let JARVIS know. I mean, if the tabloids hear about me starving my guests, I'll never hear the end of it."

"I don't think I'm in any danger of that."

"Okay. Then do you have a minute to go over all these other pills with me?"

"Of course." Bruce talked him through the rest of the medications. "We might need to experiment with dosage, so definitely let me know if you notice any side effects. And JARVIS, too, please let me know if you notice any changes to Tony's vitals."

"Yes, sir," JARVIS said.

Tony frowned at the bottles. "This is a lot of pills. How long am I supposed to be taking these?"

Bruce shrugged. "That one? Daily, for life, probably, unless a replacement is manufactured, or your health needs significantly change."

"I don't need all that! I'll be fine, now that my arc reactor is back online."

Bruce raised his eyebrows. "JARVIS said that even before this, you'd been having dizzy spells and getting short of breath."

Tony crossed his arms. "Okay. Well, sure, sometimes, a little bit."

"More than 'a little bit,' sir," JARVIS interjected. 

"Well, those should help stop that from happening. And if you take them and have bad side effects, or they don't work, then we'll try something else."

Tony pursed his lips as he studied the bottle. Then he shrugged and dry-swallowed a pill. "Gak. This seems like a lot of trouble just to keep me alive."

"Tony…"

"Sorry," Tony said. "I—you've been—I need to tell you something."

Bruce blinked. "Okay?"

"You know SI used to make weapons, right?"

Bruce shrugged.

"So we had a lot of military contracts. I—I'd worked with Thaddeus Ross. In the past."

Bruce sucked in a breath and fought viciously against his fight-or-flight instinct. Well—his flight instinct and the Other Guy's fight instinct. He felt his hands unconsciously curl into fists and he forced them to flatten out against his thighs. Tony reached over and touched his hand. Bruce flinched away.

"Sorry. I—well, it's just, I know everything about that experiment, the one you were working on, was supposed to be top secret, but I...well, I'm nosy. And I feel like I could have reached out to you afterwards, could have helped you sooner, but I didn't, and I...I'm sorry."

Bruce blinked. "Oh. That's all?"

"I just feel bad. I didn't do anything."

"Why would you? You didn't know me."

"But I knew _about_ you. And you needed help."

Bruce shook his head. "I didn't want to be found, Tony. I didn't need anything from you."

"You said you tried to kill yourself."

"And I said it didn't work. Honestly, if you'd reached out to me back then, I probably would have asked you to give me a weapon that would have finished the job." Bruce crossed his arms over his chest.

" _Bruce_."

"I'm just saying, I…"

"Well, I wish you wouldn't."

"Well, I wish _you_ wouldn't keep saying stuff about how you don't care if your heart gives out." 

Tony let out a surprised laugh. "Okay. Fair enough. How about this, we agree to help each other find reasons to live." He extended a hand.

Bruce looked at Tony's earnest face, then down at his hand. He thought about how on the helicarrier, Tony had said that Hulk had saved Bruce's life for a reason, a notion that made no sense to Bruce. But this seemed different. This was about finding new reasons. He nodded his head and shook Tony's hand. "Deal."

"Now, it just so happens that two of my reasons are Ben and Jerry…" Bruce laughed and rubbed a hand over his forehead in disbelief at Tony's inability to follow medical advice. Tony pleaded, "C'mon, I bet you're still hungry too, after all that rabbit food."

"I thought it was good!"

"I didn't say it wasn't good. I said I bet you're still hungry."

Bruce sighed. He _was_ kind of hungry. "Well, I guess all things in moderation, right? And if you're taking your medications, that should help reduce the strain on your heart enough that you can probably tolerate a little bit of saturated fat."

Tony turned a dazzling grin on Bruce. "Yesss. C'mon." 

In the kitchen, Tony triumphantly produced a pint of Half-Baked from the freezer. He grabbed two spoons and led Bruce to a lovely living room, where he sat on the couch and gestured for Bruce to join him. "Let's see. Are you in the mood to watch anything?"

"Don't you need to do your, uh, emails and stuff?"

"I can multitask. If you want to join me."

"Sure."

"So, what do you want to watch?"

"Uh...you pick."

"Yeah, figuring out what to watch can be overwhelming. Luckily, we have a protocol for that...JARVIS, what's on?" Tony asked. The room's blank wall lit up with a huge projected screen showing six smaller screens. Tony peered at them. "Hmm. Knicks game...something tells me you're not a sports fan?"

Bruce wasn't, but he said, "Uh...that's fine if that's what you want to watch."

"That wasn't the question. J, close that one. Oh, latest _Star Trek_ reboot...is that one the _news_? Get that out of here, J, we've had enough news already…" The offending image vanished and Tony continued, " _Monty Python_...oh, Bruce, I don't suppose you've been keeping up with The Bachelor?"

"I can't say I have."

"It's...a guilty pleasure," Tony admitted. "Save that one to the DVR for when Pepper's back." That image disappeared too, and Tony frowned at the last one. "What's this? Looks...bad. No, wait, is this Godzilla?"

"It is _Mothra vs Godzilla_ , currently airing on AMC," JARVIS explained.

Bruce snorted. 

"Is that a yes on Godzilla?" Tony asked.

"Sure."

The other images disappeared and the vintage kaiju grew to near life-size proportions. Tony dug into the ice cream and offered Bruce a spoon. Bruce hesitated.

"I don't have cooties," Tony said. "Or if I did, I think I have a prescription for them."

"I was just thinking bowls might be better for, ah, portion control."

"Bruce…"

"Ice cream in _moderation_."

"Then you'd better get in on this before I eat it all," Tony countered.

Bruce laughed and dug in. "Oh, god, that's really good." He knew there were stores in Kolkata where he could have gotten premium pints of ice cream, but they hadn't been in his neighborhood, or his budget. He had gotten to the point where he didn't really miss most of the creature comforts of middle-class life in the US, but he had to admit that life here had its perks. 

"Told you," Tony said smugly.

Bruce braced himself to have to ask Tony to stop eating. He really didn't relish being such a killjoy, but he worried about Tony's cavalier attitude toward his health. But to his surprise, Tony ate small bites, slowly savoring them. Bruce ended up eating most of the pint, and in no time, he sheepishly put the empty carton on the table.

Tony smiled. "I _knew_ you were still hungry. And admit it, this stuff is way better than _sorbet_."

"Well, the blood orange was pretty good, though."

"It was alright," Tony agreed. 

After he'd lost the distraction of the ice cream, Bruce paid more attention to the movie. As a kid, he'd enjoyed the old creature features, but he hadn't watched a Godzilla movie in years. Not since his accident, he realized, as he watched the giant lizard with a grim sense of recognition.

Then Tony looked up from his tablet and said, "We could take Godzilla."

"What?"

"In a fight. You and me—Hulk and Iron Man—we could take Godzilla."

"Oh. Hmm, I don't know. He's awfully big."

"Yeah, but we've got brains."

"Well, you do. I don't know about Hulk."

Tony scoffed. "Hulk knows enough. He's got a mind for strategy."

Bruce snorted and Tony said, "He does! You should have seen him in action. Wait, you can, JARVIS records footage from my suit."

"I don't think I need to see that," Bruce murmured.

"Well, if you're not going to watch it, you should believe me."

Bruce made a noncommittal sound.

After a moment, Tony said, "I guess we wouldn't really need to fight Godzilla, anyway. Just get him away from the city. Live and let live."

Bruce smiled. "Yeah, we need him to stick around for another sequel."

Tony laughed and pointed out a clunky visual effect, and the two joked with each other for the rest of the movie. It had been such a long time since Bruce had been around anyone who really understood his humor; his quiet sarcasm tended to get lost in translation. But Tony got him.

It made Bruce dread his imminent departure from New York, even though he knew it was inevitable.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked.

"Hmm? Oh, uh, just tired, I guess."

" _How_ tired? Because _Son of Godzilla_ is up next…"

Bruce decided that he might as well spend his time with Tony while he could. "I guess I could stay up a bit longer," he conceded.

"Great!" Tony said, clapping Bruce across the back. "Hey, you want a drink?"

"Oh—"

"No, I know, no alcohol, honestly, you're killing me, but ginger ale or something?"

"Sure. Thanks."

Tony brought him a soda and they watched the movie, casually chatting and joking throughout. When the credits rolled, Bruce said, "I really should get to bed, though. And so should you."

"It's barely even 1AM!"

"Definitely bedtime." Bruce rose from the couch. He held his empty soda can and glanced around the room.

"Do you remember how to get to your bedroom?"

"Uh...I'm sure JARVIS could help me find it."

Tony slung an arm around Bruce's shoulder. "I'll walk you to the elevator." Tony pointed out a recycling bin on the way and Bruce tossed his empty can. 

They rode the elevator for a few moments before it stopped and the door slid open. "This is your floor," Tony said. "I'm up one more."

"Oh. Thanks, Tony."

"Goodnight, Bruce," Tony replied. He leaned forward and kissed Bruce on the cheek just before Bruce started to walk out of the elevator.

Bruce flinched. "Sorry," he mumbled, embarrassed at overreacting to Tony's Euro-style friendliness. "I'm just not, um, used to, uh, goodnight."

He managed to exit the elevator, but not without seeing the cat-who-ate-the-canary grin on Tony's face.

Bruce let out a long breath and made it back to his bedroom without further incident. He ducked into the room's bathroom and saw that it had been fully stocked with toiletries. He brushed his teeth and shucked off his clothes, slipping into bed in the boxer-briefs he'd borrowed from Tony earlier that morning.

"Would you like me to turn the lights off, sir?" JARVIS asked.

"Oh! Uh, yes, please. Thank you."

He fell asleep quickly but was plagued by anxiety dreams. He sat up and fumbled for a lightswitch, but the lights turned themselves on.

"May I be of any assistance, sir?" JARVIS asked quietly.

"No, I…no," Bruce said, not wanting to bother him. Then he remembered that JARVIS was some kind of omnipresent AI, so it probably wouldn't be a bother. "Er, is there a...radio or anything?"

"I can play any media you wish."

"Oh. Um, I just used to listen to the BBC International radio when I couldn't sleep? Is...could you play that, please?"

"Of course, sir. Please just let me know if you'd like the volume adjusted."

The AI complied, and Bruce let out a shaky breath when he heard the soothing sounds of a cricket announcer. "Thanks, JARVIS. Could you please turn the lights off?"

"Certainly. Oh, and I took the liberty of raising the temperature in your quarters, since you mentioned that the air conditioning made you uncomfortable. But please let me know if you'd like me to make any adjustments."

"Oh!" Now that Bruce thought of it, he was more comfortable in this room. "Thank you, that was very thoughtful."

"You're welcome. Sleep well, sir."

"Thanks. You, too. Er...do you sleep?"

"I can't say that I do."

"Right. Well...good night, anyway." Bruce buried his face into his pillow and reminded himself not to get used to this kind of treatment. But he smiled as he drifted back to sleep, soothed by the British-accented white noise.

In the morning, JARVIS woke him by gradually turning the lights on without sounding an alarm. It was a peaceful way to begin the day, though Bruce still felt anxious.

"Good morning, sir. Master Stark is asking permission to enter your quarters. What shall I tell him?"

Bruce blinked. "Oh. Ah, of course, let me just get dressed." He hastily pulled on the clothes he'd worn the day before and walked toward the door. JARVIS slid it open before he got there, revealing an amused-looking Tony.

"Hey, Banner, you ready for breakfast?"

"Sure."

"You wanna change first?" Tony gestured toward the closet.

Bruce glanced at the closet door, then back at Tony, unsure how to politely state the obvious fact that he hadn't brought anything to put in the closet.

"Oh, JARVIS didn't tell you? We had some things delivered for you yesterday. Take a look and make sure it's okay. And anything else you need, just let JARVIS know."

Bruce hesitantly opened the closet and found more clothes than he'd ever owned. "Oh, Tony, this is too much."

"It's really not. But if you want to walk around naked, you won't hear any complaints from me. Might get chilly, though."

Bruce shook his head and pulled out a clean outfit at random. "I'll just, uh, I'll be right back." He ducked into the bathroom, where he skipped showering but quickly changed clothes and brushed his teeth. The new stuff fit well, and it felt smooth and soft to wear.

"Looking good!" Tony said when Bruce reemerged.

"Thanks, Tony, really."

Tony made a dismissive hand gesture. "Anyway, breakfast?"

Bruce nodded and followed Tony back to the kitchen. He thought maybe he was learning his way around the Tower, or at least around a few floors of it.

Over oatmeal and tea, Tony said casually, "I think we're meeting with Fury this morning. I've been trying to blow him off, but unfortunately he knows where I live, soo."

Bruce exhaled. He'd known this moment was coming, but he still wished it weren't so soon. "Oh. Okay."

Tony squinted at him. "What's wrong?"

"No, nothing," Bruce said.

"Ugh, anyone ever tell you you're a terrible liar?"

Bruce crossed his arms. "No."

Tony laughed. "Another lie! Breathtaking. Here, have some more oatmeal."

"Uh—thanks?" Bruce had started to protest the refilling of his bowl, but Tony had ignored him. Bruce shrugged and ate it. He might as well have a full stomach before he began his exile.

"I don't think the thing with Fury will take too long. I think Rogers and Thor probably got the worst of it yesterday. Er, day before? We got a bit of medical reprieve."

Tony chattered at Bruce about various ideas he'd had about new applications for the arc reactor technology, and Bruce nodded and attempted to interject appropriate enthusiasm, though his mind was really trying to plot his next move. He was almost relieved when JARVIS said, "Excuse me, sirs, but Director Fury has arrived. Shall I send him up?"

Tony glanced around the kitchen. "Yeah, might as well. My office isn't suitable for company at the moment, and god knows I don't want him in my workshop." Then he reached across the table and patted Bruce's hand. "It's gonna be fine, Bruce, okay?"

"Okay."

Tony snorted. "Well, I don't have time to come up with a better pep talk, so try to just believe me."

Bruce gave a small grin, and then Nick Fury stalked into the kitchen.

"Morning, Nicholas," Tony said cheerily. "I'd offer you coffee but we don't have any. Apparently, it's not good for people in my medical condition."

Fury ignored that and said, "Stark, Banner, good to see you among the living. I know we're all busy, especially me, so I'll keep this quick. SHIELD would like to officially thank you for your acts of heroism."

Bruce sat quietly and waited for the other shoe to drop. Fury set a briefcase on the kitchen table and pulled out a manila envelope, which he handed to Bruce. "Dr. Banner, here are the documents you requested."

Bruce frowned as he opened the envelope. His eyes widened as he found a passport, Social Security card, driver’s license, and medical license. He looked up and saw Tony's smug smile. Fury glanced between the two of them and said, "Huh. Well, that should be enough to get you set up. You're planning to stay in New York?"

"Yes," Tony said, at the same time that Bruce said, "Um."

Fury looked between them again and said, "Banner? You're free to go wherever you'd like. SHIELD can get you set up in Washington, DC if you'd prefer to join us there."

"I—uh."

"Seems like you've figured out how to keep your alter ego in check," Fury continued. "So long as that's the case, we see no reason to contain you."

"But, uh, General Ross—"

"—is outranked by me," Fury said confidently. "He has been informed in no uncertain terms that you're a valued member of the Avengers Initiative. If he makes any attempts to interfere with you, he will answer to SHIELD."

"Oh. Uh. Thank you?"

"Don't mention it."

Bruce looked back down at the documents, stunned to have had his life handed back to him over breakfast. Of course, he knew it could all be ripped away from him again in a second. But for now, at least, he had options.

Fury continued, "Now, Stark, I understand Ms. Potts has been coordinating the repair efforts for Stark Tower?"

Sensing that his participation in the conversation was no longer required, Bruce spaced out and allowed himself to imagine staying in New York. He could keep working with Tony. He felt a small smile creep across his face.

"Something funny, Banner?" Fury asked.

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm sorry, I was just…"

"If you don't keep Bruce firmly tethered to the conversation, he'll float right out of it like he's in the Macy's parade," Tony said, but he didn't sound annoyed. Bruce, on the other hand, was embarrassed; he knew it was an important conversation, and he'd tried to listen. But it was hard for him to stay present so soon after a Hulk-out. He twisted his hands together in an attempt to ground himself.

"Hmph," Fury said. "Well, I suppose you can catch him up to speed. I need to be getting on my way." He offered them each a firm handshake and said, "I'll show myself out."

Bruce ground his palm into his eyes. "Sorry. What did I miss?"

"Nothing important," Tony said breezily. 

Bruce looked at his paperwork again. "I don't recognize this address."

"It's here. Stark Tower. You're staying here, right?"

Bruce exhaled. "You're sure you want me here?"

Tony scoffed. "No, I got this ID made for you because I thought it would be fun for you to have to go wait in line at the DMV to get it changed."

Bruce laughed. "I'm afraid a trip to the DMV might end with the Other Guy redecorating the place."

"So, you'd better just stay here, then. Though honestly, the Hulk smashing up the DMV probably wouldn't even be in the top ten worst things that happen there in an average day."

Tony smiled, and Bruce smiled back. Bruce allowed himself a moment to feel cautiously optimistic. Then Tony's phone rang.

"Hey, Pep," Tony said cheerfully. "Yeah, we met with him. He just left. … _Yes_ , I was very nice. ... Yep, everything's fine. ...How much? ...Well, you tell them that— ...Okay, sure, sounds good. Love you too, bye!"

Bruce felt his smile falter slightly. But it was fine, it was good that Tony had a girlfriend, especially one as lovely as Pepper. Being able to live in such a nice place, and to work with such a smart, kind person really was more than Bruce could have ever hoped for. Bruce wasn't a safe person to be romantically involved with, anyway. He knew what he'd cost Betty.

"So. Now that you've got your license back, why don't you prescribe me something fun?" Tony asked.

Bruce widened his eyes. "You know, even though they sell candy at the pharmacy, you don't actually need a prescription for it. You can just buy it."

"Yeah, but what about Vicodin? That's always a hit at parties."

"Oh—"

Tony sighed. "I'm just kidding."

"Sorry, I just—"

"You're just trying to keep me alive, I know."

"Speaking of—"

"Yes, I took my pills this morning."

Bruce smiled. "You get a gold star."

"Ooh, let's put it on my armor. That'll look good, don't you think? Why don't you go put your documents away and then we'll go to the workshop."

"Uh...sure." He put everything back in the manila envelope and said, "Thank you, Tony."

"Don't mention it. It's just what you're entitled to."

It was more than that—it was the recognition that Bruce might be entitled to anything at all—but Bruce just swallowed and nodded. "Okay. I, uh, I'll see you in the workshop." 

"Wait," Tony called.

"Yeah?"

"Can I have coffee? _Please_?"

"One cup," Bruce said. Tony's over-the-top joy made him smile, and he made his way out of the kitchen and back to his bedroom without help from JARVIS, so he was feeling successful. He stuck the folder of documents in the drawer of his nightstand. It was the only thing in there, and he thought that maybe Tony was right and Bruce _did_ need to do some shopping. He could get by with little on the run, but if he was really going to stay here, well, he'd at least need a wallet to put his ID in. But for today, he had everything he needed, and he went back up to Tony's workshop.

JARVIS slid the door open for him and Bruce was greeted by loud rock music. Tony was already at work, dismantling the Iron Man armor on the big worktable.

Bruce felt a little alarmed to see it in pieces, and also more than a little alarmed that Tony was already working on it. What had he missed Fury saying? "Hey, Tony, what's going on?"

Tony flipped up his protective glasses and smiled up at him. "It got damaged in the fight, so, gotta get everything back up and running."

"What, today?"

"Well, as soon as possible."

"Is—is everything okay?"

Tony furrowed his brows for a minute. "Well, I mean, there's nothing imminent, but you know, Loki's still out there, and all. Do you know how to use a welding torch?"

" _What_?"

"Okay, I can teach you, you'll get the hang of it."

"No, what did you say about Loki?"

Tony laughed. "Wow, you really did check out of that conversation with Fury this morning, huh?" He grew more serious and said, "Uh, when I had my...heart incident...Loki took advantage of the distraction to steal the Tesseract and escape."

"Tony, what the fuck, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Well, I didn't know either, at first, you know, I was kind of busy _dying_ and all."

Bruce paced. "But we should find him again! The Tesseract!"

"Bruce, it's okay. Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it? Loki—he—" 

"Okay, hey, breathe. Thor said Loki left our realm, by which I'm pretty sure he means planet. Thor said it's an Asgardian matter. They're going to use, you know, magic and stuff to get him."

"But the Tesseract…"

"The Tesseract isn't anywhere on earth anymore. Remember like, four days ago when you and I designed that brilliant technology to track it? Well, now SHIELD has it, and they're in charge of tracking it now, and it's gone. Bruce, are you okay?"

Bruce crossed his arms. "I just don't like this at all." He'd worked _so_ hard for so many years to gain control over the Hulk, and Loki had wiped that all out in about ten seconds. He couldn't stand to think about that happening again.

"The real threat was the Chitauri, and they're taken care of," Tony said. "Trust me on that."

"Right."

Tony put down his tools and put a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Look, I know how you feel, but we're okay for now. Do you...do you need to take a break?"

Bruce took a few deep breaths. "No. No, let's...let's just get your suit fixed up. I'll feel better if we're prepared."

Tony beamed at him. "That's the spirit! Now, here, put on some protective eyewear and I'll show you what we're working on."

Bruce really didn't feel like he was contributing much to the endeavor beyond moral support, but he enjoyed watching Tony work. Between the two of them they made quick work of the repairs. At least when Tony got out of breath hefting the metal plates, Bruce convinced him to take a break; that felt like a victory. And when they ate lunch, Tony only grumbled a little about the vegan meal. He did pass most of his uneaten salad over to Bruce, who was happy to finish it.

As they returned to work on the suit, Bruce found himself mentally crunching numbers and evaluating specs. The suit was undeniably an impressive work of tech, but he was distressingly sure that Hulk could make short work of it. 

He turned the problem over in his head at dinner that night; he was sure that Pepper must think him unbearably rude but she offered him a sympathetic smile and repeated herself whenever Bruce asked her to. 

That night, Bruce again slept poorly. But a few ideas came to him as he lay awake, drowsing and listening to BBC radio. He needed JARVIS for the first one, and he used his new credentials to have the AI call in another prescription. He'd need Tony's help for the second one, but he thought it would be doable.

The next morning, they put the finishing touches on Tony's repaired armor and took a celebratory snack break. Over a bowl of mixed berries, Bruce said, "Hey, Tony, I need to ask you a favor."

Tony popped a blueberry in his mouth and grinned. "Of course, anything. Oh, I already had JARVIS order some new reading glasses for you. Gotta complete your nerd chic look and all."

"Oh! Thank you. But that wasn't what I was going to ask." Tony made a "go on" gesture and Bruce said, "Well." He took a deep breath. "I'd like for you to make another Iron Man suit. A stronger one."

Tony tilted his head. "I'm all for upgrades, but what's wrong with this one?"

"It couldn't beat the Hulk."

"It doesn't need to! The Hulk helped me. I know you don't remember it, but—"

"I understand, but—but what if that isn't always the case? What Loki did—what he made me feel—made us feel, I...I would just feel a lot better if I knew that you had a way to neutralize the Hulk. If you needed to. If I...he lost control." Somewhere in the back of Bruce's head, the Hulk was taking wordless offense at this. Bruce tried to mentally soothe him, but it wasn't taking. He said, "Just as a precaution," hoping to convince both Tony and the Hulk. He understood why Hulk would be upset, but he wasn't sure why Tony needed so much convincing. It seemed like such an obviously necessary idea to Bruce.

Tony exhaled. 

Bruce added, "Especially if I'm going to be staying in the city."

"Are you saying you won't stay if we don't make this?"

Bruce was touched that Tony seemed concerned about this. It wasn't even the first time that he'd expressed a desire to keep Bruce from leaving New York, which was...not a sentiment Bruce was used to hearing. "I'm saying...I'm just saying, it'll help me sleep at night." Tony still seemed strangely reluctant.

"I thought you'd understand," Bruce said.

"I understand that you're too full of self-loathing to ever think that the Hulk could be a hero."

Bruce took a sharp breath as he considered, and rejected, those words. "N-no, that isn't what I'm saying. I—look, you stopped making weapons, right? Because you realized you couldn't control them after you put them out into the world?"

Tony crossed his arms and gave a single nod.

"Well, I _can't_ take the Hulk off the market, and I can't always control him. But with this, _you'll_ be able to. And I trust you to do what's right." Tony stared at him, his expression hard to read. Bruce couldn't understand why Tony wouldn't immediately agree to this proposal. He added, "Anyway, uh, it might come in handy for other stuff. Maybe there are other aliens as strong as Hulk, or...or something."

"Well. I...I guess it wouldn't hurt. Just to make it."

Bruce's shoulders sagged with relief. "Oh, thank you, Tony."

Tony laughed. "Can't imagine most people would be so happy to hear I was designing something specifically to disable them."

"I'm not most people."

"I'll say." Tony abandoned the fruit bowl and got to work, pulling up various spreadsheets and blueprints. He whistled as he read a list of stats about Hulk's speed and strength. The numbers made Bruce feel a little sick, especially since he was pretty sure they'd come from Ross's data. "Well, you're right, the current Mark wouldn't stand up to this kind of force. So we'll need a stronger alloy, but we can't make it much heavier or it will be too slow..."

Bruce winced. He hadn't thought about the strain it might physically put on Tony to pilot the kind of suit that would be needed to stop the Hulk. But, hopefully, he wouldn't need to use it often. Or ever. Anyway, it would be preferable to the kind of strain a few direct hits from Hulk might put on his body.

He laughed when Tony labeled the new design "Hulkbuster."

"You like it? We can change it if you think of something better."

"Hulkbuster's great," Bruce said, though he had the dim sense that Hulk disagreed. Still, they kept working on it without any incident for the rest of the day. Bruce began to understand that the project was more complex than he'd anticipated, but he was sure that Tony would be up for it.

That night, Tony showed up at Bruce's door with another bottle of pills. "Hey, these got delivered today. What are they? Don't I have enough drugs already?"

"Oh. That one's Ativan, for anxiety, panic attacks. I...would strongly recommend that you figure out dosage with a psychiatrist, but that's a pretty common starting dosage."

Still standing in the doorway, Tony held the bottle out to Bruce. "I don't need this."

Bruce put his hands in his pockets and refused to take it. "Maybe you don't _need_ it, but it might help. It's not meant for daily, it's just...as needed. If something happens." Tony crossed his arms and Bruce said, "It's just medicine for your brain, the way the others are for your heart. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"I—I'm not ashamed, I just don't need this."

"Okay." Bruce glanced around the room, looking for any distraction from the uncomfortable topic. Maybe he had overstepped. But Tony had _told_ him to prescribe whatever Bruce thought he needed, and after what he'd seen last night, he thought Tony needed it. But he knew some people were uncomfortable about psychiatric meds, and he seemed to have offended Tony.

Tony licked his lips and said, "Do, uh, you take any of that?"

"Oh. Well, I can't anymore. So now I have some other techniques, but, yeah, the meds really helped me for awhile."

"You can't anymore? Because you couldn't get a prescription filled?" 

"No, ah. It's just that my body metabolizes things very differently, since my accident. So drugs don't really work for me now."

Tony considered that. "Oh. So you took this stuff _before_...?"

Bruce twisted his hands together. "Yeah, I don't think I would have made it through med school without it, to be honest."

"Why?" Tony asked. His tone was curious, not judgmental, but Bruce still hesitated before answering. "Nevermind, you don't—"

"—I had PTSD," Bruce said. Then, in the interest of full disclosure, added, "Er. Have, I guess. Had and have. Anyway, I'd managed to get through college without really addressing it, but it was getting worse, and making it really hard for me to sleep, to focus, to do much of anything, really. I was dissociating all the time."

"Dissociating?" 

"When I...when I get stuck in my head," Bruce explained. It was an oversimplification, but he figured it would work for the moment. 

"Oh," Tony said quietly. "And it’s from—because of your dad?"

Bruce closed his eyes. "Yeah. Because of my dad," he said flatly. That had been the start of it, anyway; he’d obviously racked up some additional trauma along the way. He didn't remember ever mentioning his father to Tony, and he hoped they weren't about to get into a lengthy discussion about the man.

Tony must have noted some surprise in Bruce's reaction, because he added, "I read—um, your SHIELD file is pretty extensive." Bruce swallowed, wondering what, exactly, Tony had read. Surely nothing good. "I'm kind of nosy. I, uh, I'm sorry. For what you went through. And for—" He shook the bottle. "I didn't mean to insult you. I just don't like the idea of it."

"I'm not insulted. I just—I just wanted to give you the option. If you never take them at all, that's fine, but this way you'll have them on hand. If you ever want them."

"Well. Next time I think I'm having a heart attack in the middle of the night, I'll just take two of those and not call you."

Stung, Bruce said, "Tony, that's not what I mean. Of course you should let me know—"

Tony sighed. "Yeah. No. I know." He licked his lips. "I'm just...I—I think I'm going to go back up to the workshop for awhile. If you want to come?"

Bruce had been about to get ready for bed, but he accepted Tony's uneasy invitation as a kind of olive branch, and he nodded and trailed Tony upstairs, where they spent several more hours toying around plans for the Hulkbuster and didn't say another word about anxiety medication. But they joked and bantered and by the time Bruce dragged himself to bed, he thought things might be okay between them.

They spent weeks working on the Hulkbuster design, growing closer as they spent hours each day together. Bruce marveled at Tony's mind, and he adjusted easily to Tony's idiosyncrasies—his loud music, his abrupt changes of topic, his unwillingness to be handed things. He began to see the anxiety and hurt that lurked beneath Tony's cocky exterior, though he still struggled to understand how he might help Tony. He was a competent medical doctor, but he wasn't a psychiatrist. Still, he tried his best.

In return, Tony proved able to understand Bruce's body language quite well. He clearly enjoyed provoking reactions from Bruce, but he never pushed too far and never took real offense when Bruce got too lost in the clouds of his own mind. Tony was quick to tease, but quicker to compliment Bruce. Bruce even gradually began to believe some of the compliments.

Bruce enjoyed working with Tony, but it was tiring to keep trying to see the design from Hulk's point of view, to point out structural weaknesses that might only be visible to an 8-foot brute. He could tell that it bothered Tony to hear questions like, "But what if Hulk throws a car at it?"—Bruce always referred to the suit as _it_ , preferring to avoid thinking about the _him_ who would be inside the Hulkbuster. 

Bruce didn't like making his new friend think about all the different ways that his monstrous alter ego could hurt him, but they _had_ to be prepared. Even if it eventually meant losing Tony's friendship, it was better that Tony stand a chance at putting Hulk down, if necessary. Protecting the world from the Hulk had been Bruce's top priority ever since the accident, and it would have to stay that way for the rest of his life.

While they worked together to figure out how to hurt the Hulk, Tony at least did seem to be healing just fine from his heart attack. Even if he wasn't taking the Ativan, he _was_ following Bruce's instructions on the other pills. Though Bruce still wasn't sure how to help Tony with his mental health, Bruce came to better understand Tony's physical needs. 

At first, he'd been treating the arc reactor the same as a pacemaker, but it wasn't, not exactly. And Tony definitely got more cardio exercise than many cardiac patients, putting himself through grueling training with and without his armor. (Bruce would occasionally accept Tony’s invitations to join him in the gym and always needed a week of restorative yoga to recover afterward.) Tony was clearly getting by just fine with the arc reactor, but Bruce still saw the impact it had on him. When Tony was called away from the workshop, Bruce began to discreetly investigate alternatives. He found the research of Dr. Helen Cho to be particularly fascinating, and he thought it might be applicable to Tony. But he didn’t want to bring it up until he felt more confident about its prospects. 

Bruce also tweaked the dosages of Tony’s medicines. To Tony's immense relief, Bruce quickly determined that his system was strong enough to handle moderate daily amounts of caffeine; Tony had already built up a very high tolerance for the substance. As Bruce continued to monitor Tony's progress, he felt comfortable letting Tony ease back further on his dietary restrictions. Tony celebrated by producing a _very_ expensive bottle of wine at dinner that night. Bruce rarely drank—growing up with an alcoholic father had left him wary of it, even before the Hulk forced Bruce to stay in control at all times. But he let himself be persuaded to have just one glass, toasting to Tony's health with Pepper and Rhodey, who he'd gotten to know a bit.

"I'm just so glad you're here," Pepper said warmly. "You've done so much for Tony."

"Oh, no, he's done so much for me," Bruce said shyly. He didn't like to be applauded just for doing his job. He liked to help people; it was why he'd become a doctor. He was curious by nature, and his research interests were diverse, but having the MD gave him a practical, tangible way to help people.

"I think the real credit should go to the French," Tony said.

"What?" Pepper asked.

"For the wine. God, they really know what they're doing over there."

Rhodey laughed and elbowed Tony. "Hey, you shouldn't talk like that in front of the Iron Patriot."

Tony took a long sip of wine. "Rhodey, please, let's not talk about such unpleasant topics at the dinner table."

"It's just a name change," Rhodey said, though Bruce knew Rhodey had complained about it too.

"And a new paint job!" Tony added. "The paint job is arguably worse. Makes you look like Captain America's sidekick instead of mine."

"I'm nobody's sidekick!"

"What am I supposed to do without a sidekick?" Tony asked with a faux pout.

"Maybe Bruce will be your sidekick, if you ask nicely."

"Oh, um," Bruce said. He wasn't really offended to be thought of as a sidekick; he was just happy to be included, though he felt self-conscious about saying so. "I think maybe JARVIS is Tony's sidekick."

"That's right!" Rhodey agreed. 

The group kept laughing and chatting long after the end of their dinner. Bruce felt pleasantly warmed from the wine. He felt so grateful to have such delightful new friends. He was still worried about what might happen to them, but for a little while, he managed to shove his concerns aside and just have a nice evening.

One thing did bother him, though, and before he fell asleep that night, he said, "Hey, JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I, um, I hope it didn't offend you when I said you were Tony's sidekick. Earlier."

"Not at all. I'm honored to be of assistance to Master Stark."

"Oh. Good. I mean, I meant it as a compliment."

"Thank you, sir. And may I add, you are also very helpful to Master Stark."

Bruce smiled up at the ceiling. "Thanks, JARVIS."

"Good night, sir. I wish you pleasant dreams."

The next morning, they finalized the design for the Hulkbuster suit and began the work of acquiring materials and actually assembling the suit. They made some tweaks as they went—seeing the suit brought to life in metal was different from seeing the 3D renderings, no matter how detailed the modeling. The suit was _large_ ; Bruce found it reassuring to watch the suit grow as they slowly assembled it, even as he wondered how Tony would be able to wear it.

Bruce and Tony spent long days together in the workshop, but Bruce insisted on regular breaks for food and sleep. Tony sometimes took breaks to answer his phone, though he would usually ignore it unless JARVIS announced that the caller was Pepper or Rhodey, or if Fury overrode protocols and forced his call through. Bruce dreaded the calls from Fury, which always came through on speaker, but so far there hadn't been any news about Loki. Bruce gradually started to relax and believe Thor's reports that Loki wasn't interested in returning to Midgard.

If the calls came from Pepper, Bruce usually tried to excuse himself to give Tony some privacy, although Tony never seemed to mind if Bruce was there. Still, one afternoon he heard Tony take a call from Pepper, and Bruce stepped out and headed to the kitchen. It had been awhile since he'd lived anywhere with an oven, and he decided to take an attempt at baking something. JARVIS helped him assemble the ingredients for vegan banana-nut muffins, and Bruce mixed the batter with an experimental eye.

He was reading the news and waiting for them to bake when Tony appeared in the kitchen. "Something smells good in here! Are you finally wearing that cologne I gave you?"

Bruce laughed. "Banana-nut muffins, they should be ready in a few more minutes."

"Excellent." Tony draped himself over a kitchen stool and said, "Natasha said hi, by the way."

"Hm? I thought you were talking to Pepper."

"I was, but Pepper's with Nat."

"Oh. Is, um, does Pepper work for SHIELD?"

"Not directly. Why?"

"Oh, I was just...I wasn't sure what they'd be working on."

"Each other," Tony said, his tone salacious.

"What?"

"Oh, they're dating."

"What? I—I thought you and Pepper…"

"We have an open relationship," Tony said casually. "Natasha went undercover for SHIELD and got a job at SI to spy on me. But she really hit it off with Pepper, and now they see each other whenever their schedules can line up. Pepper always comes back in a _great_ mood, but Natasha won't let me watch whatever it is they get up to."

Bruce blinked. "Oh. Well, um, I guess, tell her I said hi back. To Natasha."

"Will do."

Bruce was still turning this information over in his head when JARVIS said, "It has been twenty-two minutes since you put the muffins in the oven, Dr. Banner."

"Oh, thanks, JARVIS." Bruce pulled a silicone muffin pan out of the oven and stuck a fork in to test one. "Perfect," he said.

Tony jumped off his stool and turned puppy-dog eyes on Bruce. "Are you going to share?"

"I _was_ planning to eat 24 muffins myself, but since you asked so nicely…" 

"You said that like it was a joke but I've seen the way you eat," Tony said, pulling a muffin out of the pan. "Ooh, it's warm. Mmm."

Bruce smiled and said nothing about how the muffins were vegan and full of omega-3s. Instead, he took a bite of his own muffin and nodded in approval. They had turned out pretty good—though in true scientific fashion, he was already thinking of ways future batches could be improved.

They finished their snack and went back to the workshop. Tony didn't say anything else about the parameters of his and Pepper's relationship, and Bruce was too shy to ask. Just because Tony apparently could date other people didn't mean he'd want to date someone like Bruce.

The next day, they finished the Hulkbuster armor. Bruce watched with a smile as Tony took it for a test outing in the big, reinforced training gym that had been built into one of the tower’s sub-levels. The armor didn't look nearly as sleek or elegant as Tony's current Mark. It looked bulky and awkward. But it also looked _strong_. It looked like it would keep Tony safe, and that made Bruce feel happy.

Tony raised his faceplate and lumbered over to where Bruce was observing. 

"Hey Brucie, why don’t you bring out the big guy so we can really test this out?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why not? Don’t you trust our work?"

"Don’t you?"

"Touché." Tony must have seen the seriousness in Bruce’s eyes because he said, “Okay, then, I guess we'll just have to call this test run a success. JARVIS, help me out of this.”

Bruce watched the clunky process of armor removal and realized with a sinking feeling that they weren’t quite finished yet. This armor would do if Bruce had an incident here in the city, but what if he were somewhere else? How would Tony get it there? And what would he do with Hulk once he'd subdued him?

They spent another week with their heads to the grindstone on the Hulkbuster project. The suit was finished, but Tony might need to be able to access the suit from anywhere on earth, and it was much too bulky to be called by his bracelets. Plus, they might need something to contain the Hulk.

"This really seems like overkill," Tony said, when Bruce showed him his rough design for a mobile containment unit for Hulk.

"It's more secure than the cell on the helicarrier was," Bruce said. "And it's modular…"

Tony was quiet for a long time, by his standards. His face was equal parts unhappy and excited. Bruce twisted his hands together anxiously. He knew he was asking a lot of Tony; none of this stuff was cheap to produce. He knew Tony could afford it, but he wouldn't have asked for Tony to spend so much money on anything that wasn't absolutely essential. Finally, Tony said, "We'll have to make sure the encryption on this is top-tier. It absolutely _cannot_ fall into the wrong hands. I...I have an idea that might work." 

"Yeah?"

Tony bit his lip and had JARVIS pull up an image. It took Bruce a second to understand it, and then he grinned. "A satellite! Brilliant!"

Tony smiled back. "Yeah, I know." He tapped at his workstation for a few minutes and then said, "Hey, I named Hulkbuster, you should name this part?"

"Oh. Um." Bruce considered. Tony favored extremely straight-forward names for things. Bruce thought about what he might want to honor. But then he thought, the satellite that monitored the Hulk maybe wasn't something most people would want named after them. Still, he knew Betty Ross had tried her best to help him; maybe he could subtly honor her. Via her fictional counterpart. "What about Veronica?"

"Hmm. Well, it's your satellite." Tony didn't sound impressed, but the display picked up the name _Veronica_ in glowing letters. Bruce smiled. "Okay, so, we've got to make sure everything can withstand orbit…" He started tweaking the design while Bruce peered over his shoulder.

Veronica wasn't quite ready when they stopped for dinner, but Bruce felt good about their progress. And Tony suggested they watch a movie rather than return to the workshop, so he supposed Tony was feeling good about it too. 

Except, some time after Bruce went to sleep, JARVIS awoke Bruce. "Forgive the interruption, Dr. Banner, but Master Stark is requesting entry."

"What?" Bruce squinted at the time: 2:33AM. "Oh, uh, sure, of course, is everything okay? And would you turn the lights up brighter?"

He sat up and looked around his suite. He’d recently moved out of his generic guest room and into a whole floor that Tony had designed just for him as part of the tower’s remodel. It had reinforced Hulk-proof walls, but it also had other amenities like a beautiful yoga studio and its own kitchenette, which was always kept stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables so Bruce had easy access to snacks. And the bed in here was somehow even more comfortable than the last one, which Bruce wouldn’t have believed possible. 

JARVIS slid open the door to Bruce’s bedroom and Tony stumbled in, breathing heavily. "Oh my god, Tony, are you okay? JARVIS, what are his vitals?"

Tony held up a hand. "I'm okay, I'm okay, it's, I'm, just, I took an Ativan already, I just wanted to…"

Bruce felt a small sense of relief that Tony was having a panic attack rather than a heart attack, but he put an arm around his friend and guided him to the room's big, comfortable couch. "Hey, good, you're doing great, Tony, just breathe…" He squeezed Tony's hand and spoke softly to him until his breathing normalized. It was a much shorter process than the last time Tony had come to him with a panic attack, and Bruce was glad that Tony had remembered his prescription and actually taken something.

Finally, Tony took a deep, steady breath and said, "Thanks. Sorry to wake you."

"Of course, Tony, I'm happy to help. Sorry you're not feeling well."

"I'm okay, now, just...you know, Pepper's still in DC, and I had this nightmare, and I woke up, and I was alone, and…" Bruce patted his back softly.

"Okay. Well, you're not alone, I'm here. And JARVIS is here."

Tony mumbled something.

"What?" Bruce asked.

"Nevermind."

"No, what? I couldn't hear you."

"Could I stay with you tonight?" Tony murmured.

"Oh, Tony, of course," Bruce said. He tried to sound like a concerned friend and not like someone who had a desperate crush on Tony. He knew Tony was only coming to him because Pepper was away, but Bruce had to admit to himself that he was a little bit pleased, even though he didn't like to see Tony upset. He swallowed and asked, "Do you want to go and lie down? Or we could watch a movie or something."

"Let's just go back to bed."

"Okay." They padded back to Bruce's bed and lay down. Bruce remembered how Tony had held him that first night, and wondered if Tony would do that again. But Tony lay flat on his back. 

Bruce curled on his side, facing away from Tony, and said, "Goodnight, Tony. JARVIS, lights out, please."

"Goodnight, Bruce. I'm glad you're okay."

"Huh?"

"Oh. Uh...the nightmare I had, it was, uh, about you," Tony said softly.

"Oh. God. Sorry. But don't worry, the Other Guy is under control." Of course Tony was afraid of him, they'd been spending weeks calculating precisely what a monster Bruce was.

"N-no, I mean. That something happened to _you_. That I...hurt you. And I woke up, and I, I...I just wanted to see that you were okay."

"Oh. Well, um, yeah, I'm fine."

"It's just—I get why you want it, the Hulkbuster, but it's been so hard to keep thinking about—about using it against you."

Bruce was oddly touched. "Oh, Tony. I'm sorry to put you in that position. And I'm so grateful that you're helping me."

"It doesn't feel like helping you."

Bruce sat up and said, urgently, "But it is, Tony! If it ever happened—if Hulk ever tried to hurt you, or, or anyone, you have to know that that wouldn't be what _I_ want. I'd want him to be stopped. It's so important to me. And anyway, you wouldn’t be hurting me. You’d be hurting _him_. And believe me, he can take it."

"I understand that...in theory. But it's now that the suit is actually finished, it's so much less theoretical. It's…" Tony trailed off. "Well, it was just a nightmare."

"I get it. I have nightmares too, Tony," Bruce said softly. 

"About the Hulk?"

"Among other things," Bruce said. He thought about how vulnerable Tony had been, and he added, truthfully, "About you, sometimes."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I—I see you falling, and, and nobody can catch you in time, and…" Bruce still didn't remember Hulk catching Tony when he fell back down from the wormhole, but Tony had eventually convinced him to watch the footage.

"Ah." After a long silence, Tony said, "Pepper doesn't get it, not really."

"I know she loves you. She worries about you."

"No, yeah, I know, but, uh. It's not the same. It's not first-hand."

And Bruce wasn't sure how to respond to the fact that Tony's girlfriend wasn't as traumatized as the two of them were. "Well. Um. I'm here for you, Tony."

Bruce could hear the smile in Tony's voice as he said, "I know you are."

Bruce lay back down, and they drifted off to sleep together. The next morning, they slept in late and agreed to take a day off from working on Hulkbuster and Veronica. 

"Why don't we go out and do something?" Tony asked over oatmeal. "You've been in New York for months now and I don't think you've set foot outside of Stark Tower."

"Oh. I." Bruce twisted his hands together. It was true; he hadn't. Tony had left several times for various appointments and meetings, but Bruce had always stayed behind. Tony and Pepper had tried to invite him out to dinner a few times, but Bruce had always been too worried about being a third wheel to accept. It was one thing to eat with them at home, but he felt like they should have their date nights without him. Anyway, there was plenty in the tower to keep him occupied.

Tony, guessing at Bruce's anxiety, urged, "C'mon, you were living in Kolkata before you came here, you don't think you can handle New York?"

"I—I guess I can." He could be okay with crowds, as long as he had an exit.

Tony smiled. "Of course you can! So, where do you want to go?"

"Oh...whatever you think?"

"Well, what have you already seen?" Bruce blinked, and Tony asked, sounding slightly stricken, "Wait, you have been to New York before, haven't you?" Bruce grimaced, remembering Hulk's showdown with Blonsky's Abomination. He was ashamed of the destruction they'd wrought, even though he knew Hulk had saved lives. 

Tony added, "Uh, _you_ , Bruce, not Hulk?"

"Yeah, I didn't get a lot of sightseeing that time in Harlem," Bruce said drily. 

"Was that your only time in New York before this?" Tony asked.

Bruce wracked his overworked memory. "Um. I think in grad school, I presented at a conference at Columbia? But I didn't really see anything outside of academic buildings." Bruce felt his cheeks flush. His family hadn't had the money or inclination to take vacations when he was a kid, and when he was older, he'd been so dedicated to his work, and when he'd been older still, he was fleeing the U.S. Army and didn't have much opportunity for tourism.

Tony paused for a moment, and then he grinned. "Then I'm excited to be your first! I'll be gentle, I promise. Let me just go change clothes."

Tony dressed down, in jeans and a T-shirt, with sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled low. Bruce didn't really think it made him look much less recognizable, but it was pretty cute. Bruce, fortunately, didn't have to worry about anyone recognizing him, but Tony lent him a pair of sunglasses anyway.

"There's this bright glowing ball in the sky, it might hurt your eyes," Tony said wryly.

"Ha," Bruce said, but he slid the sunglasses in his shirt pocket as they went down to the garage, where Happy was waiting in an SUV with tinted windows. Bruce and Tony slid in the back seat. Bruce gazed out the window and was surprised to see how...normal it all looked. He supposed it had been a few months, and he definitely spotted signs of construction here and there, but mostly, people were out and about, clearly living their lives.

He could sense that Tony was watching him, but Tony remained unusually quiet. Eventually, Tony said, "Hey, if any of this is too much for you, just say the word and we can leave, okay? Really."

Bruce smiled. "Thanks, Tony. What, um, where are we going?"

"Well...if you hadn't been to any of the New York museums, I thought we should start with my personal favorite, the Museum of Natural History. But it's usually pretty slammed with visitors, especially during the summer. So...really, we can leave any time. Okay?"

"Sounds good," Bruce said, as the car slowed to a stop. He looked out the window and saw the huge stone museum. "Oh, thanks, Happy."

"No problem. Tony, you sure you don't want me to park and come in with you guys? Look at that line, it's gonna be crowded. You might need a bodyguard."

"Nah, we'll be fine," Tony said. "I'll let you know when we need a pickup."

"Okay," Happy said, though he sounded skeptical. "Well, have fun."

"Will do!" Tony said brightly. They stepped out of the SUV and joined the line going out the door to buy tickets.

Tony said, "If I'd thought about it, I could have called ahead of time and gotten us past this line. Pepper used to handle stuff like that for me...I never did get another assistant after Natasha turned out to be...overqualified for the job."

"That's okay," Bruce said. "It's nice out." He put on his borrowed sunglasses. It really had been too long since he'd felt the sun on his skin, and he smiled at the feeling.

Tony smiled back. "Looking good." 

As the line crept forward, Bruce watched and listened to the people around them. There were families speaking several different languages, kids of all ages and enthusiasm levels. It was the kind of crowd he could disappear into. It reminded him of what he'd liked about Kolkata. 

Before too long, they made it inside the building, where the line to purchase tickets continued around a statue of Theodore Roosevelt. Bruce took his sunglasses back off, though Tony kept his on.

Once Tony paid their museum entrance fee, he handed Bruce a paper map and asked, "Where do you want to start?"

"Oh, whatever you want."

" _I've_ seen it. I want you to pick."

Bruce studied the map. The museum was gigantic, and everything sounded interesting to him. "Uh...we're right by the planetarium, maybe we could see the next star show?"

Tony winced. "I, uh...you can go to that, if you want, but I think I've had enough of space for awhile."

"Oh my god, of course, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry." Tony didn't like to talk about it, but a few times, he'd offhandedly mentioned that some of his nightmares were about his trip through the wormhole. Of _course_ he wouldn't want to sit in a dark room and look at stars. 

Tony laughed. "Stop apologizing, I'm the one ruining your first trip to the museum."

"Hey, no, it's not ruined." Bruce looked at the map. "Uh, how about dinosaurs?"

"The dinosaurs were always my favorite," Tony said. He reached out and took the map and tucked it into his pocket. Then he took Bruce's hand, and they made their way upstairs to the dinosaurs.

At first it was nice, holding Tony's hand and joining the huge crowds admiring the skeletons. "Funny, these looked bigger when I was a kid," Tony murmured.

"Did you come here a lot when you were a kid?" Tony rarely talked about his childhood. Bruce couldn't fault him for that, but he was curious.

"A few times, but I guess it left an impression on me." He smiled wistfully. "The last time I came here was with Jarvis."

"Uh..isn't he here now?" Bruce knew that Tony was in constant contact with the AI through his phone and other devices.

"What?" Tony looked around reflexively, then laughed. "Oh, no, I mean the human Jarvis. Edwin Jarvis. He was my family's butler."

"Oh."

"He...look, I know how it all sounds, but he and I were really close. My dad wasn't around a lot, and Jarvis was...was there for me. The AI is a...tribute to him."

"Then I'm glad you had him," Bruce said, and Tony squeezed his hand. Bruce smiled, watching little kids roar at the dinosaurs and look up at their parents with wide eyes. Then one of the kids turned and noticed Tony.

" _Mommy_ , it's _Iron Man_ ," they heard a kid say. Tony froze, and Bruce looked over at him with questioning eyes. Tony shook his head slightly at Bruce and forced a media-friendly smile.

The family approached. The mother said, "I'm so sorry to bother you, but would you mind taking a picture with our son? He absolutely idolizes you."

Still smiling, Tony crouched down low in front of the kid. "Hi. What's your name?"

"Henry."

"It's nice to meet you, Henry. What's your favorite dinosaur?"

"T. rex!" 

Tony posed for the picture, and the family happily went on their way. But everyone in the vicinity noticed what had happened, and others began to approach. Bruce started to feel a bit closed in, and he took a few steps back. Nobody wanted to talk to him, anyway. He listened in. Tony was kind and charming to everyone. 

And then one little boy said, "Iron Man! What did you see in space?"

"W-what?"

"When you flew up into the hole in the sky! Did you see another planet up there? Did you see where the aliens came from?"

"I, uh," Tony said, and he cast his eyes around. He made eye contact with Bruce, and Bruce could see that Tony looked disoriented. Bruce took a step forward to try to get to him, but Tony was now surrounded by a large group of tourists. The idea of pushing through so many people to get to Tony made Bruce dizzy. Bruce felt helpless, and wished that Happy had come with them after all. 

"Iron Man, do you think the aliens will come back? You'll protect us, right?"

"Where's your suit, Iron Man?"

Bruce hissed to himself. They'd managed to keep word of Tony's heart attack out of the news, and of course Tony kept his mental health private. But even without knowing any of Tony's past struggles, Tony was pale and visibly struggling to breathe, and none of the adults were doing anything to keep their kids back from the obviously distraught celebrity in their midst. Worst of all, in the back of his mind, Bruce could feel Hulk expressing his fear for Tony. It absolutely would not do to have a Hulk-out on the fourth floor of a priceless museum, particularly so soon after it had miraculously survived the Chitauri attack unscathed.

He texted Happy to ask him to get Tony's Ativan and pull the car around as soon as he could. He felt like an asshole for not thinking of it earlier, but he was so used to thinking of Tony as a confident people-pleaser. He knew Tony had his issues, but he'd agreed with Tony's assessment that Bruce would be the person more likely to freak out at the museum. 

Bruce glanced around and saw a security guard standing at the entrance to the T. rex room. He wasn't used to thinking of authority figures as potentially helpful, but he bet they would be happy to help Tony. He cast an apologetic look at Tony and walked away from him, toward the guard. The museum guard was a middle-aged woman who looked like she'd seen it all. But she raised her eyebrows when Bruce blurted out, "Excuse me, ma'am, but that's Tony Stark over there and he's having a panic attack in that crowd, could you please help me get him out of here?"

"What? I wasn't told we were having any special guests today," she said.

"He...we just came in, we weren't really planning on it, please help him."

He followed her gaze over to the mob surrounding Tony. Tony himself wasn't even really visible from where they stood, but _something_ was clearly happening over there. The guard sighed, held a mumbled conversation into her walkie talkie, and then put two fingers to her lips and whistled loudly.

"This crowd needs to disperse!" she said sharply. "Please make your way to the next exhibit." She pushed her way through the reluctantly dissipating crowd, and Bruce followed in her wake. They found Tony, breathing heavily with a vacant look in his eyes.

Bruce grabbed his hand. "Tony, I'm sorry."

Tony blinked at him and nodded.

The guard said, "Mr. Stark, sir, please come with me." She led them briskly out of the exhibit and swiped them into a door marked "staff only." They went down a fluorescent-lit hallway and ended up in what seemed to be an employee break room. A few people sat at small round tables, eating sandwiches and looking at their phones. They glanced up, then looked back at their phones.

"Thank you so much," Bruce told the guard. Tony sat down on a plastic chair at an empty table.

She nodded. "Does he need anything? Should I call for an ambulance?"

"He’ll be alright. But maybe some water, please?" 

She took a bottle out of the fridge and handed it to Bruce, who brought it over to Tony. Tony took a sip and set the bottle back down on the table.

Bruce asked, "Hey, can you breathe with me?"

He guided Tony through some breathing exercises.

Finally, Tony said, "Sorry."

"What? No, I'm sorry, I should have…" Bruce trailed off, because he wasn't sure what exactly he should have done. But surely he should have done _something_ differently. "I should have helped you."

"You did," Tony said earnestly. "I'm sorry, I ruined our date."

Bruce blinked. He was surprised at Tony's use of the word _date_ , but he didn't want to say anything, not when Tony was still upset.

"You didn't ruin anything." His phone buzzed, and he said, "Oh, Happy's here." He walked back over to the first guard who'd helped them and asked for an escort down to the entrance. Bruce put an arm around Tony's shoulders and they followed the guard down some circuitous staff passageways. He got Tony into the back of the SUV and thanked the guard profusely.

"Oh, happy to help Tony Stark, Lord knows he's done enough for us," she said with a smile.

"Yeah," Bruce agreed, before following Tony into the car.

"I told you I should have come with you!" Happy said. He handed the prescription bottle over to Tony, who quickly took a pill. Bruce made a mental note to get a small pillbox so Tony could carry a few pills with him more easily.

Tony sighed. "I guess it wasn't my best-laid plan," he said. "Bruce, I'm sorry, you barely got to see anything."

"Oh, that's okay. I don't mean to brag, but one time I took a field trip to the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, so I think it's pretty much the same."

" _Pretty much the same?_ It—you—Bruce, are you _trying_ to kill me?" Tony asked dramatically.

"Just the opposite," Bruce said. "You have to stay alive long enough to prove me wrong."

Tony laughed and said, "Just so long as you know you sound _insane_ when you say things like that. New York has its problems, but our cultural institutions and our pizza are undeniable."

"Well, I just think you haven't really tried pizza until you've tried it from the Casey's gas station in Dayton, Ohio."

Tony dramatically collapsed against the car door. "Oh my god. How can you treat me this way? This is cruel and unusual."

Bruce smiled at Tony's antics. Laughter wasn't literally the best medicine, but it could definitely help. He added, "What? Casey's pizza is even better than microwave pizza rolls." 

"Bruce, you simply cannot talk like that here. Go to New Jersey if you want to slander the good name of pizza."

"I know, I'm a monster. You ready to go home?"

"Nah, wait, I'm feeling better. Adrenaline boost from your wrong opinions, maybe. Happy, why don't you let us out around the corner?"

"Uh, you sure about that?" Happy asked.

"Yeah. It's a nice day out and I need to get Bruce into Central Park before he tries to tell me that some gazebo in Cleveland is just as good."

"We can go another day—"

"No, let's go now. I think I could use some fresh air, honestly."

"Okay," Bruce agreed, because he did want to see the park, and Tony did sound much better now that the medicine was starting to enter his system. Happy grudgingly pulled the car around. They got out at the 79th Street Transverse and walked out into the sunshine, hand in hand.

"I really don't know what happened in there," Tony said quietly. "I used to like meeting kids, I just…"

"Well, there were a lot of them," Bruce said. "And their parents weren't helping at all, and I—I'm sorry, I should have…"

Tony shook his head. "No, you were great, and I—I know you don't like that...kind of thing. I just...I don't…"

"It takes time to recover from trauma," Bruce said softly. 

"I guess I just don't like to think of myself as… _traumatized_." 

"You have trauma because you've survived," Bruce said. "We both do."

Tony sighed. "Well. I don't like it."

"Oh, weird, I love mine," Bruce said drily. "It has all kinds of perks...I mean, hey, you got us a behind-the-scenes tour of the Museum of Natural History today."

Tony laughed. "I guess I did."

"I'll remember those Formica tables forever," Bruce said fondly.

"I should probably make a donation to that museum, earmarked for an update to that break room."

"I'm sure that would be appreciated."

Tony mumbled, "JARVIS, remind me about that donation later." 

Bruce and Tony walked together quietly for awhile. Bruce nervously kept his eyes out for anyone who might notice them, but though there were a lot of people in Central Park, it was so big that it didn't really feel crowded, and nobody seemed to be paying them any mind. They were too busy jogging, biking, taking photos, playing soccer, and just generally enjoying the warm summer day. It was a lovely reminder that life had gone on in New York.

Bruce spotted a cart up ahead and said, "Hey, you know what might make you feel better?"

"Drugs?"

"A nice salad," Bruce said solemnly.

Tony groaned and Bruce said, "I'm kidding. Ice cream?" He pointed out the ice cream cart. "Look, they have [the popsicles that look like Iron Man](http://www.clearancecuisine.com/food/iron-man-popsicle/)."

Tony laughed. "Those things are scary!"

"Yeah, they kind of are, huh?" Bruce, who had eventually acquired his own wallet and bank account, bought two ice cream cones and handed one to Tony.

Tony raised his cone to Bruce's in a toast and they found an empty bench where they sat and ate their ice cream. Tony surprised Bruce by leaning over and resting his head on Bruce's shoulder, but Bruce didn't flinch. He finished his cone and then tentatively leaned to rest his head against Tony's.

"Hey, Bruce?"

"Yeah?"

His tone studiously casual, Tony said, "I've been wondering, are you just really oblivious or are you not interested in me?"

It was a good thing that Bruce had finished his ice cream, because he would have choked. " _What?_ "

Tony continued, "See, on one hand, you're so observant. You always notice when I'm not feeling well, you notice when Pepper gets a haircut, you notice when I add a new coat of gold paint to my suit...so how could you not notice that I'm in love with you?"

"You're…" Bruce swallowed hard.

"So that makes me think that maybe you have noticed, and you're just politely trying to avoid my mess."

"Tony, no, I…"

"But on the other hand...you're so modest. And sometimes you _have_ been known to miss things. And...you don't seem to mind my mess."

"I don't," Bruce whispered. "I just, I...I love...your mess."

Bruce turned his head to look at Tony, who was gazing up at him from under his baseball cap. Now that he was really looking, it was admittedly hard to interpret Tony's expression as anything other than "adoring." Bruce felt stunned and shivery, and he was sure he must be looking at Tony with a matching expression.

Tony smiled and said, "Yeah? Well, I love you."

Tony tipped his face toward Bruce's, and Bruce leaned in, and they kissed. Tony's lips tasted like vanilla and his goatee scraped against Bruce's skin and everything felt like a dream. But after a delicious moment, Bruce pulled away and frowned.

"Are you okay?" he demanded.

"Mm?" Tony looked at him with dazed, glassy eyes.

"You're breathing hard, and your eyes…"

Tony laughed. "Sue me, I'm excited to be making out with a sexy genius."

"Oh, sorry, I thought—" 

Tony shook his head and leaned in. He gently scraped Bruce's bottom lip between his teeth for a moment and let go with a grin. "I'll try to make it obvious if you're taking my breath away in the bad way."

"Oh…" Bruce blushed. He was really out of practice with this kind of thing.

"God, you're cute," Tony said.

Bruce leaned in to kiss him again, but then he was struck by the sensation that somebody was watching. He glanced around and saw a couple of teens pointing phones at them. "Uh...maybe we should go home?" he whispered to Tony.

Tony flicked his eyes toward the girls and whispered back, "Relax, they're taking selfies." And sure enough, they were pouting and angling their cameras toward themselves, trying to get Turtle Pond perfectly framed behind them. Satisfied, they moved on without giving a second glance at the middle-aged men canoodling on a bench. Tony smiled and said, "But...we probably should get going. It's only a matter of time before somebody does notice us. And anyway, Happy's probably losing his mind right now." 

Tony called Happy, and they set off walking back toward Central Park West to meet him.

Happy picked them up and said, "Back home?"

"Sounds like a plan," Tony said. Then he leaned over and rested his head in Bruce's lap. Surprised, but not unpleasantly so, Bruce slipped the baseball cap off Tony's head and stroked his hair. His head was full of things that he wanted to say, but none that he wanted to say in front of Happy. Not that he didn't like Happy, but...Bruce put a high value on privacy, and he wanted to speak to Tony _alone_. (He supposed JARVIS didn’t really count.)

Fortunately, Tony evidently felt the same and all but dragged Bruce up to the refinished penthouse once they got back to the tower. Tony put his arms around Bruce and kissed him, hard. Then they sat down on the bed and Tony said, "Bruce...I'm so glad you've kept me alive."

Bruce laughed. "It's my pleasure."

"Your pleasure, huh?" Tony asked, with a Cheshire grin. He grabbed the hem of Bruce's T-shirt and said, "Let's see if we can get you some more of that. Can I…?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Bruce said, and let Tony pull his shirt off. Tony ran his fingers through his chest hair admiringly. Bruce squirmed a bit under the attention, though the touch felt good. 

Tony paused and asked, "Is this okay, Bruce? We don't have to do anything, if you're not comfortable, or if...well, we can do whatever you want."

"I want this," Bruce said immediately. "I...it's fine. It's good. The Other Guy is under control." Attempting to follow Tony's lead, Bruce reached out and asked, "Uh, can I…?"

Tony smiled and let Bruce take his shirt off. It surprised Bruce to realize that Tony looked a little shy, watching Bruce look at his chest. He’d seen it all dozens of times, but the context was different now. Much better now that he wasn't checking for infection or replacing a part. Still, Bruce said, "Hey, this might not be the time to mention it, but I've been thinking…" Tony leaned in and kissed Bruce's throat, and Bruce let out a breathy laugh. Tony straddled him and pushed him down on the bed.

"Yeah, big guy? What have you been thinking?"

"I—I think we could remove the shrapnel from your heart. I've been looking at some new techniques, and I—I think it would be doable."

Tony laughed. He said, "You're right, this is a terrible time to mention that," but his tone was fond.

Bruce laughed, too. "Yeah, I just—we’ve been busy but it’s been in the back of my mind, and then I just thought of it when I saw—and I'm just, god, Tony, you know how awkward I am, and you're so…"

Tony kissed him again. "I'm so in love with an awkward genius," he said with an indulgent smile. "You don't mind being with me this way, though?" He self-consciously drew a hand to cover the arc reactor.

"God, no, Tony, of course not!" Bruce said immediately. "No, you—you're beautiful. It's just that I know...I know it hurts you, and I…" he wrapped his arms around the back of Tony's head and pulled him in close. "I don't want you to hurt."

"Oh? What _do_ you want?" Tony asked, nuzzling against Bruce’s sensitive throat.

"I want...I want you to feel good," Bruce gasped.

"Mmm, I do love the way you think. I want the same for you," Tony replied, and they set to work bringing those ideas to life.

Afterward, they lay curled together, sweaty and sated. Tony said, "That was good cardio activity right there."

"Another gold star for you."

"Just one?"

"Five. Ten."

"And I can trade in ten gold stars for a free pizza, right?"

Bruce laughed. "Right." Tony's cholesterol and blood pressure had been in great shape lately. And anyway, he didn't want to deny Tony anything tonight.

"JARVIS, order us pizza!" Tony called. "And salad. For Bruce. Bruce loves salad."

"I love _you_ ," Bruce said. 

"Hear that, J? Bruce loves me," Tony crowed. 

"Congratulations, sir. Your celebratory pizza and salad have been ordered."

When their food was delivered, they lounged in bed, eating together leisurely. Tony picked toppings off of Bruce's salad and hand-fed them to him. Bruce laughed and hesitantly reciprocated. Given Tony's fussiness about being handed things, he wasn't sure if he'd go for it. But Tony laughed and took the offered cucumber slice into his mouth. "I guess I could get behind salad if we ate it like this all the time," Tony mused. "Of course, I don't see why we couldn't eat our pizza the same way."

After a few laughing attempts at feeding each other pizza, Tony said, "Hey, this pizza is better than Ohio pizza, right?"

"Of course, Tony. Anything I'm eating with you is better."

Tony groaned. "You're so cheesy."

"Well, yeah, because of all the pizza…"

Bruce managed an innocent smile as Tony shook his head in dismay. After they finished their food, Bruce cleared their trash away. When he came back to bed, Tony curled up against his chest. Bruce pressed a kiss to the top of Tony's head and said, "Thank you, Tony."

"For what? The pizza? You're welcome."

"No, for the salad." Bruce smiled and added, "And...for giving me a home."

"Brucie! _So_ cheesy." Tony turned to kiss him. "Luckily, I love cheese. And you made my heart strong enough to take it."

Bruce murmured, "You did the same for me." Bruce still wasn’t sure if he believed that the Hulk had saved his life for a reason, but Bruce was definitely glad that he had.


End file.
